Mask Off
by ToxicSpeka
Summary: After Eggman was defeated, and the resistance triumphed, Shadow finds a lone, sad jackal and is determined to fix at least one thing. Meanwhile, said jackal wants nothing to do with him and is struggling to understand why he cares.
1. chapter 1

He sat on a boulder. Not so much a boulder, but more of a large shattered pillar. One of the few things still somewhat intact after his and the doctor's joined destruction.

Nothing.

He had nothing.

He had no ruby, he had no power. Hell, he didn't even have Eggman nor his squad. He didn't know where they got to, or what happened to them. He didn't know if they were still alive, and that was how much it boiled down to. He didn't know anything. He didn't have anything.

Well, that was a lie. He still had his scar, plus a new one from the ruby, and he still had his mask. But what was that? Nothing, essentially. Whenever he looked into the crystal clear waters to take a drink, he could see the reminder. The reminder that he was never strong, and that hedgehog only made it worse. He didn't cause it, no, but he only proved it. The mask was basically ruined beyond repair, and even if was fixed, it held nothing for him other than to hide his scar. From the impact of that last attack, and from Eggman ripping the ruby away from his bosom as if he were a mere toy he was replacing the limbs of, the mask was jostled and slammed against the floor. The doctor had sent him away. Not even the doctor had anything left for him.

All he was used for was a decoy. To cover up the doctor's ultimate plan. He was simply a host for the gem, for the doctor to use later with no care for how the jackal faired afterwards. With probably pure luck and a miracle, he woke up on this same lakefront, on the gravely rocks and smooth pebbles. He didn't know who saved him, but what did it matter now?

He was nothing.

It had been four days, now.

Luckily, the bleeding had stopped, but that was because the fur forced itself to grow and the sabs were forced to split and hang onto whatever was there. His face was torn up worse than his original scar, with more of a deep burn traveling up from the top of his muzzle to creep up his face from the blast of removing the gem. His chest was worse off, as puss leaked from it often from not being able to heal. The fur was always matted, black, and dark red from the blood. It always itched yet hurt to scratch.

He rathered he didn't survive if that meant he had nothing to live for anymore.

"Jackal."

He stilled at the voice, turning his head down to stare at his leather gloves. His hands were shaking, and he didn't blame them. He was weak. He knew it now. He had nothing, was nothing, was worth nothing. If he had the will to cry, he probably would've done so already.

"No one knows any name to call you by other than Infinite, and if you don't correct me, I'll continue to call you that." it was that hedgehog. He was the one that started it, and he was probably right back for his revenge.

...and, to be honest, he wanted it.

"Just do it. Kill me. Knock me in. I want it." He stared into the water. The cold water. It wasn't even that deep for him to struggle to surface, but he wasn't the strongest swimmer anyway. Not like he would struggle.

Shadow didn't say anything. He didn't even know if the other heard him or just didn't care enough to answer, but either way, who cared?

"I'll help you."

The jackal closed his eyes and pushed off the rubble. He expected the cold. He wanted the cold. He wanted the quiet. He didn't want anything else anymore.

And that was exactly what he got. He plunged into the freezing lake, hitting the ground seconds later by smashing his already sore head into the harder surface below. He held his breath instinctively, then, slowly, opened his eyes and his mouth. He watched the bubbles of life float up from his lips and pop at the surface. Turning his head, he could see plenty of more rubble and robots, working or not. More than anything else, there were fish. Fish of all colours. Fish of all sizes. Rainbow fish. Rainbow fish scattering from his splash and fleeing from his body.

The water was cool around him and cool going in, but once his lungs cried out and the cool sensation was replaced with burning, his mis-coloured eyes widened and he swung his feet to hit the ground and push up.

Infinite's boot simply scraped against the lake floor, so full of water and so heavy he was unable to bring them under himself properly. When he finally managed it, pawing at the water pathetically and kicking sloppily, he didn't get very far and seemed to only make himself tired. He didn't want this pain, he didn't want this burning.

He just… wanted it all to stop. He wanted it to stop. He wanted out.

Oxygen felt like a slap to the face as his shoulder was jerked up, a strong hand wrapping around his arm and pulling. It hurt, but he didn't care. His furry side was soon assaulted by rough gravel and sand, but that wasn't the worst of it. Water begged to stay in his lungs and throat and stomach while his body begged for it to leave. It came out in harsh coughs and oxygen clawed its way back in long enough to force more water out, just for the process to repeat itself. Occasionally, a sharp whap to his back would drive out more water, but it quickly stopped before he wanted it to.

The Jackal's nails dug into the rough, soggy floor and he opened his eyes, gasping deeply for a few ticks before gagging and throwing up nothing. Thick spit and small mouthfuls of water, all getting soaked up by the permeable, grey ground below him. Blurry eyes turned around and around in his skull until they focused. But, once they did, he didn't feel much better.

Shadow.

Shadow sat next to him with crossed legs, looking down at him with an unreadable expression.

"Look," Shadow started, and Infinite flinched "I have terrible memory. I can't remember one time events. Regardless of whatever I said, and whatever you did, you don't deserve to die for it."

He just kept his head dowm, shaking it slowly. He didn't believe the hedgehog. What was there to do? Who would he go to? Who would he trust? What did he have?

He found himself scratching at his scabs and scars and wanting to open them back up, to feel something other than the cold, other than numbness.

To take push right up to shove, the hedgehog took a fistful of matted down white hair and yanked him up to sit straight. "Did that feel good? Did it feel nice to drown? Do you really want to die that badly that you're not even listening to me? I came here-- _alone_. I came alone, unprompted, to find you and help you, yet you wish to die." He let go, and the jackal yelped in delayed pain.

Infinite closed his eyes and shuddered, feeling something warm pressing against his side and back. He could barely hold back his shaking now, so he gave into the fear. He curled into himself and sobbed. Tears finally fell from the corners of his eyes, burning hot and salty.

"...Why are you crying? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I don't know what to say." He finally responded, barely cracking open a blurry eye. It felt like he was going to pass out. He was sitting in Shadow's lap, his face pressed into the hedgehog's chest fur and Shadow's arm around his back. The jackal wanted to pull away, but he was far too dizzy to focus.

"Why are you helping me!?" he snapped. Shadow shrugged.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Why are you holding me!?" he tried to get free. Shadow sighed.

"Shut up and stay still."

The crying only got worse, the tears slowing but his breathing not. Why was Shadow doing this? What happened to the Shadow that nearly killed him? What happened to the Shadow that almost cracked his skull open?

Why was he helping him?

His breathing turned from deep and heavy to quick sips at the air, exhaling too fast for the oxygen to be put to use. He felt dizzy and too tight in his own skin. His eyes couldn't focus, and his hands becan to curl and lock in place. Everything crept up as pins and needles, and he faintly heard Shadow talking.

"Stop crying. You don't have enough oxygen nor strength to right now."

Great, even during his most vulnerable state, Shadow called him weak. _Again_.

"Try to breathe with me."

A clawed hand rubbed under his chin and Infinite enjoyed the scratch, which slowly calmed down his breathing. Shadow's thumb brushed his cheek, pushing him further against his chest fur. He finally understood the reason why; so he could hear his heart amd feel his chest rise and fall. The hyperventilating gasps died down to hiccups.

Cold, wet fur against warm, dry fur. It felt terrible, but he couldn't stop curling into the hold and pressing his face more onto the soft and warm chest fur of the hedgehog that defeated him. The hedgehog that called him weak. The hedgehog that made him react and turn into Infinite. The hedgehog that… the hedgehog that stopped him from killing himself.

He was finally warm when the world grew dark. He heard Shadow talking, but he also didn't hear it. He felt himself getting lifted, but soon darkness curled around him and clawed him deeper into it.

Infinite fell into a black, dreamless sleep.

xox

 _hey, told you I had another story. of course who am I to post a story without Shadow in it? that's my rule_

 _MO is coming to an end. HM is halfway. T is 3/5ths of the way._


	2. chapter 2

Infinite opened his eyes halfway, glancing around at his surroundings. He was laid on something warm, with something else warm on top of him. It barely registered as a couch and a blanket, and he noticed the pillow supporting his head. He was laid on his side. He didn't know where he was.

But, the position was awkward and he was in pain from it, so he pulled his arms forward to push himself in a more reclining position. It wasn't much better, but pressure off his stomach and chest was a good thing. The blanket was sure helping, at least.

Movement made him shut his eyes again and pretend to be asleep, as if he simply settled into a new position in his slumber. Hearing a shuffling sound and then a deep sigh made him feel like it didn't work. Then, a thud, and noise that made Infinite snap his eyes open in fear.

Shadow was sitting in front of a fireplace that he just lit, tossing small twigs and broken branches into the flames and using a metal poker to shift them around. All Infinite could see was his back and the orange glow from the flame, highlighting his black fur and red stripes.

"I know you're awake."

Infinite looked around again. If he knew, he might as well not fake it anymore and get some answers. "Where am I?"

"My house, the... You passed out from lack of oxygen and I didn't want you to die from hypothermia as well." Shadow stood and turned. He looked tired.

The jackal also had a feeling Shadow wanted to say something else after 'my house,' but he didn't bring it up.

"How long was I asleep?"

"About ten hours. It's very late."

The jackal wheezed and sat up fully, only to wince in pain and wrap the cover around himself. The warmth helped. "Why did you--"

"Don't move and say warm. You're still going through trauma for a few reasons, so give yourself time to heal. I have food to give you if you want it." Shadow cut him off and glared, but it was weak and full of exhaustion.

With a quick eye, he realized why. Shadow's fur was a mess with flakes of sawdust he simply brushed off, and arms and legs shaking from being overworked. The fact that he was downstairs and not in a guest room also meant something. It made him frown in thought.

Infinite had a feeling that even if he said no, Shadow would give him food anyway. So, tired and knowing he had no chance, he nodded his head and stared into the fire.

The hedgehog left into the side room and out of view. There was a whirring sound, but he ignored it.

Shadow brought him to his house. Shadow saved him. Shadow gave him a place to sleep. A warm place to sleep. That was something else he didn't have anymore. Infinite didn't have a place to sleep. A place to live. He remembered it being destroyed and built over by one of Eggman's terrible buildings. And, even then, all the buildings that had so much work put into them were being destroyed and rebuilt, or even made more habitable now.

Speaking of destroyed, he wondered how Shadow got so tired. He was the ultimate lifeform, right...? Well, with everything that was broken and knocked down, burned or built over, and all the people that were now homeless... Shadow was and still is in the Resistance. He was probably rebuilding any and everything he could to help.

The smell of soup drifted into his nose and he lifted it slightly, turning to see the hedgehog approaching with a bowl. He handed it to him along with a spoon, and the jackal unwrapped his arms to weakly lift and grab for them both. He wanted to scream. He was so weak.

The bowl was warm, a bit too warm that he looked at his hands. Infinite wasn't wearing gloves, and by the looks of it, his claws were clipped as well. He figured he would examine himself more later on.

"Eat slowly." Shadow warned.

Infinite nodded again and lifted the spoon to his mouth, tasting the chicken broth and the lightly salted noodles as they hit his tongue. He chewed the small chunks of chicken breast and turned to look at the hog. Shadow was staring into the fire, but this time, sitting on a chair.

"Aren't you going to hurt me…?" he finally asked. The thought had been on his mind since he woke up, and this was a good as time as any.

"And why would I do that?"

"I think almost taking over the entire planet and cloning an army so the doctor and I could destroy you all and lead an 'Eggman Empire' might suffice."

The soup was calming in his tense stomach, and tasted good to boot. Based on the smell alone he knew it was homemade, but he didn't really know if that made him happy or sad.

"Trust me, I've done worse. You've tortured Sonic, sure, but I tried to kill him. Three times. I should be nowhere near him nor the resistance, but I am, because I changed."

That was honestly the most Shadow had ever said to him about himself, and it made Infinite's eyes widen a fraction. He gripped the bowl a bit tighter and decided to eat instead of answer. His hands were shaking.

"Like I thought." Shadow sighed, standing up once again, but this time going to the window to stare out it. The fire was getting low. The room was growing more dim by the second. He didn't bother asking what the other meant.

Facing his fears, Infinite set his now empty bowl on the couch next to him and tried to stand, but his legs failed him and he ended up on his hands and knees. He looked at the ebony hedgehog, waiting for him to yell or tell him to get back on the couch, but nothing happened. Slowly, he crawled the few feet to the fireplace and grabbed a branch or two from the haphazard pile on the floor. He tossed them in, and, not seeing much of a change, added a bigger one.

The fire licked and lapped at the wood, turning the light brown lumber black in a few spots before splashes of red ember poked out, creating a crack and making a pleasing snapping sound to his ears. He added another and watched it succumb to the flames just like the other, then, wanting to do just like Shadow did, reached up and took the poker up off the mantel. He looked at the flame-stained forked end for a few seconds, then slowly prodded one of the new logs with it. Embers jumped out at him and he gasped, pulling back in fear just for them to fade away before even making contact.

Out of all the fire he's seen, and even created, he never watched one… so _controlled_ before.

"At least you're still mobile."

That caused him to flinch and turn to him, seeing Shadow watching him from over his shoulder.

"How-- How long were you watching me!?"

"Since I stepped to the window. It is dark out, so I wouldn't be able to see much of anything anyway. I was watching your reflection and watching to see if you would ask me to stoke the fire or do it yourself."

Shadow finally turned around, stepping aside to show that, indeed, barely anything could be seen outside other than maybe what looked like a tree.

Infinite looked at the ground, then at his hands. They weren't shaking, for once. The jackal was bearfoot, with no gloves, no socks, and, finally looking himself over, he grimaced. His chest had been shaved as just to be wrapped up in gauze, and he noticed the blood spotting the clean side of the white bandages. He touched his muzzle gently, moving his fingers up before reaching the corner of his scar. He closed his right eye and felt along the jagged gashes, up to the top, where the injury stopped, and dropped his hand back into his lap. It had healed, somewhat. Probably washed out and rubbed with something to not make it hurt as much.

"I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

The fire was starting to make it a bit uncomfortable to sit in front of with the blanket still over his shoulders. The jackal ignored that statement.

"Where's my mask?"

"You should sleep, because I'm going to. Goodnight."

The jackal snapped his head up in an instant, looking to Shadow's retreating body.

"Wait!" he called, but the word started to get caught in his throat once he realized he was yelling. But, it didn't stop him from continuing. "I asked you where my mask was!" he snapped, but the hedgehog glaring shut him up in an instant.

Shadow nearly destroyed him on his first attack, and if he was telling the truth about everything else he did, then he feared raising his voice above regular speaking level.

"Your mask is hidden. I won't give it back yet, especially not to someone that yells. Sleep on the couch because the guest room is still inhabitable." Shadow growled, and the tone alone didn't make him argue.

With a tired mumble of nothing that resembled words, he crawled back onto the couch and wrapped himself in the blanket, watching the fire. When it burned out, so did he.

It wasn't peaceful.

Claws dug at his chest, voices calling out for hos power to return, demanding to know where it went and why. Demanding to know why and how he lost it. Demanding for it back. Pulling and yanking and screaming at him that he was weak and pathetic, that he was worth nothing.

He was pulled into the freezing cold, air leaving his open mouth willingly though he tired his best to keep a lungful. He expected to hit the bottom, but it never came. He was getting dragged deeper and deeper, getting colder, darker, everything and anything surrounding him and reminding him of his failure. Reminding him of Eggman cast him aside as soon as he was defeated.

Touch on his shoulder brought him up.

Infinite opened his eyes and tried to sit up, but it didn't happen. He was hyperventilating again, which was annoying, so he simply looked around again.

Shadow was on a knee in front of the couch, one hand on his shoulder and the other helping him balance. Ruby eyes stared, and, for once, the jackal didn't see anything menacing behind them. There was nothing but concern and mild worry, looking him over while the hand touching him ran small circles of comfort. They didn't once lock eyes, both unable to do so, but the compassion was there. It was... refreshing...?

When he finally got his breath back under control, Infinite opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Shadoe took it as his cue to stand. The jackal whispered for him to be left alone but didn't mean it at all. Luckily, the other either ignored him or didn't hear it, and sat in the chair he was in before. Shadow leaned back and closed his eyes.

Infinite did so, too. There was no dream, but that was better in his opinion.

 _xox_

 _yo its super early for me._

 _ **bajy** , your wish is my command. that, and also I wasn't gonna add shipping anyway because I don't like infinitexShadow._

 ** _Id_ _ling ISL_** , _yeah, it's_ _depressing. Sorry I didn't warn about it._

 _and **Audrey** yeah, spoilers. Thank you for enjoying_

 _thanks all now im gonna take my overly exhausted self back to bed._


	3. chapter 3

Soft, hushed talking was what woke him up this time. He wasn't complaining much about it, as a dreamless slumber was not so resting, but when he did open his eyes he had more questions than he cared to think about.

The livingroom was slowly getting brighter by the rising sun, and littered everywhere was a pile of planks. Planks and two grey buckets with unknown contents. He listened harder to find out who was speaking and about what, but it was fairly faint. All he heard was Shadow's voice, and all he could make out was him thanking the other.

Having enough of laying in place, Infinite sat up and let the blanket fall around his lap instead of keeping it over his shoulders. The couch was uncomfortably warm and sweaty, and his body was the same. Smells muddled together before he noticed the box of tissues in front of him.

So, he was sick, then. Shadow probably knew and put them there. He used one to clear his nose.

"So, you're awake, then." Shadow spoke up, peeking in from the kitchen. Infinite was going to respond, but seeing red fur sprint past him and out the door was far more distracting.

He looked at the door as it slammed shut, then turned back to Shadow who was now approaching with a plate of food. "Who...?"

"Don't worry about it. Eat. You'll shower after."

The jackal narrowed his eyes as he took the plate, picking at whatever it was, which looked amazing but he wasn't going to admit that, and eating small parts. "Last I checked, you don't tell me what to do."

Shadow gripped Infinite's hair in a heartbeat, hold so tight and yanking it back hard enough that he was forced to lock eyes with him. The hedgehog was completely silent while Infinite struggled to hold back his cries of pain while balancing the plate on his lap.

"Last I checked," he drew out, hold tightening to the point where he felt a few hairs get ripped out "I just spent all night and morning on one hour of sleep to repair the guest bedroom so you would have somewhere to sleep." He let go.

Infinite snapped his head forward and stared at the plate, eyes wide and hands shaking again. He suddenly wasn't hungry.

"So, if I was you and if I were smart, I wouldn't make snide comments like that." Shadow stormed off, this time flat out leaving the house.

Infinite folded back his ears, watching the closed door for the second time that day, but this time with nothing but utter fear and horror in his heart. His head dipped into his hands and he shoved the plate onto the couch, way too distraught to eat it even if his stomach was crying out for food.

Wait, hadn't Shadow said he made the room so he could sleep there? That meant it was broken before and he just kept it that way and not bothered to fix it. How long has it been? Almost a week now, right? Shadow had been sleeping in his room, in his house, knowing that the guest room was utterly destroyed and he just didn't bother to fix it until now.

The jackal looked towards the stairs and frowned. He didn't mean that, nor did he mean for Shadow to get so upset, but it was... somewhat expected. If he was telling the truth, then one hour of sleep was basically telling your body to deal with whatever it got and be happy with it. And, from his few interractions with Shadow, he wasn't ever a very happy person. Infact, his temper rivaled his own sometimes.

Before he had much to think about, the door opened again but was left open. Shadow walked in, eyes half-mast and ears lowered in shame as he tossed random sticks and cut timber next to the fireplace.

"Why don't you just use the extra wood?" Infinite tried asking, and Dhadow reacted strangely. He barely glanced over his shoulder and visably sagged.

"I'm not the only one with damages. Others need them more than I do." He sighed, then heaved the many planks onto his shoulder and left with them.

Infinite watched him leave, again, but he came back seconds later. "What was that?"

"Do you not need to shower? And especially start walking again, because I refuse to carry you everywhere for the rest of your life." The agent cut him off and held out his hand for the jackal to take, but he simply stared at it.

Though it was true that he was having trouble walking ever since the ruby was removed, he never brought it up. Limping and crawling seemed to be good enough so he simply dealt with it and figured he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Really, he figured the bridge was burned about two days ago, but it was bding rebuilt.

"Fine." He took the other's hand and stood, wobbling on his paws and noticing Shadow was wearing socks only.

"You say 'fine' like you have a choice."

"I _do_ have a choice." He whispered, but the other didn't respond. When it first happened, he figured Shadow simply didn't hear him, but when it happened a second time he knew that wasn't the case. He would simply not respond to some things he said, whispered or not.

They took a step before his arm wrapped around the hedgehog's shoulders and the other grabbed whatever was closest to balance him. The look in Shadow's eyes at the sudden touch could burn holes into diamond.

"It looks like you're planning twenty different ways to murder me right now." Infinite admitted with a frown, making the agent turn to look at him, tugging him along more now that he had a better grip.

"You underestimate how exahusted I am."

Then came the challenge of the stairs, which the jackal was finally able to see with his own eyes. It was simply carpetted stairs with two banisters that lead up to another hallway, but it was just the idea that he got over to them was good enough in his book. He grabbed both banisters with determination and looked to the top. There were only tweleve stairs.

"Are you going to walk or wait until the stairs start moving for you?" The hedgehog's voice cut him out of his thoughts and he looked over his shoulder, seeing Shadow waiting behind him with crossed arms and tapping his foot.

"S-Shut up, I'm going." One foot in front of the other, pushing himself up more with his arms than his legs, but there was an attempt.

Another step, then another, and another until he was five steps up and decided to try his weight with the sixth. He stepped up and pushed down, expecting himself to get one step higher. He grinned and saw the light fixture at the begining of the hallway, turned off due it being early. But, the softness of the carpetting slipped away and his knees gave out.

He wasn't that high up, but tipping backwards from any height on any stairs could fracture his skull. He already had issues with his face and overall weakness in his body, so a cracked skull added to that list meant certain death. He threw his arms down and back to catch his fall only to feel soft fur against his back.

"Five, that's a good start. We'll try again next time." Shadow spoke gently and calmly, with such an air of encouragement that it didn't _sound_ like Shadow at all.

"Shut up. I would have done it." He hissed but it seemed to go unheard as Shadow picked him up and carried him to the bathroom.

They passed two rooms along the way, one with an open door and the other closed. From the decorations on the door, he could tell that the closed one was Shadow's. And, upon looking into the open door, saw a lone bed in the middle of a tile bare floor with a lap sitting on the ground next to it, a disasembled table on the bed, and a rolled up carpet in the corner. They passed by too quickly to see anything else.

"Sit, I have to take your bandages off." the agent said, so, for the first time in a while, the jackal complied without a retort.

Was Shadow really working that hard just to finish up the room? From the look of it alone, it hadn't been damaged, it have been destroyed. Shadow probably had to start from scratch. He sighed.

"Finnigan."

The hedgehog was clearly lost on that one, looking up with a clear confusion with a slight question on what he was talking about. "?"

"That's my name. Finnigan." He refused to make eye contact, feeling Shadow's fingers pull away from his side and taking the bandages with him.

The hedgehog held out his free hand and Finnigan took it with hesitance.

"Nice to meet you, Finn." Shadow shook it firmly.

xox

 _wow i had to change this from what I originally wanted and worked on with my friend. I guess it'll happen a little later on, then._

 _also y'all like this so much, wth. another thing, why is there no other stories about shadow and infinite anywhere?? not ffnet, not ao3, nowhere. step it up, guys_


	4. chapter 4

It had been nearly four days since Finn started walking again, which he was doing much better at than his first attempt, but he still hadn't conquered the stairs yet. He'd get more than halfway up before dropping to all fours, but downstairs was still way too much.

Shadow had been staying with him every step of the way, but slowly started leaving the house more and more until it was blatently obvious he was gone. Even if he was quiet most of the time, the jackal could tell silence from absence. The one time he confronted the hedgehog about it lead him to mumble that he was very exhausted and would explain later.

Later never came.

Finn sat up from retrieving his tennis ball from under the couch, turning to see Shadow dragging himself down the stairs in such a tired manner that it looked pitiful. Instead of calling out, the jackal whipped his ball at him with all his might; He was actually surprised when Shadow caught it a split second before it hit him only to look down at it in confusion.

"...what?"

"Shadow." Finally, he looked up and gave the other a nod as a greeting.

"Hello again. Did you throw this at me?" He tossed it up and down, but dropped it on the second throw and stared down at in disappointment as it rolled away.

"I did." It was something Shadow came home with once, giving it to Finn without a second thought. At first he took it as an insult, but he liked throwing it against the wall just to catch it again. "You're tired and look terrible."

"The Ultimate Lifeform is never tired." Shadow spat, not bothering to complain that he didn't look terrible, because he most likely did.

"Yes, and I'm not weak. Shut up and lay down, you're too tired to do whatever it is that you do." He crawled over to the ball to pick it back up. "You can't even throw a ball and talk."

Shadow shrugged a shoulder and walked over to the couch to sit on the arm of it. He turned his body side to side and stretched, each movement making a deep popping sound from his joints. "I can't just do that. I have too many houses to repair and too many injured anthros to save to simply _lay_ _down_." He sighed, then sloppily caught the ball Finn threw at him again just to throw it right back.

"What happens when you get so tired you end up passing while you're holding something heavy and end up making everything worse?" Finn growled "I'm sure you can stay home for an entire day without anything bad happening. Even if it does, they have that stupid radio they can signal you on."

The word choice made Shadow go quiet, not the request itself, but he nodded anyway to drop the subject and sit on his fsvourite chair.

Finn had said "home," not "house."

"... Why are you suddenly caring of me? You normally don't say a thing about how I look nor show a rat's hair of compassion for me." The hedgehog rolled onto his side and made himself comfy, suddenly aware that he _was_ very tired. He lingered on a blink for far too long.

"Pfeh. You act like just because I tried to kill everyone doesn't mean I lack compassion. With my squad, I always used to... make them... sleep..." Finn trailed off, his latest throw of the ball bouncing wildly and sailing past him without an attempt to catch it. It rolled over to Shadow's paw.

"Do you miss them?" Shadow mumbled, but before he could continue, he was cut off by Finn's sudden yell.

"Of course I miss them! You killed them, _remember!?"_ Hiss turned to snarl "You think I _wouldn't_

Shadow didn't react much other than pin his ears back and frown, waiting for the other to quiet. Why would he tell him to stay behind and rest if he was going to scream and yell minutes later? "What the hell are you talking about? They're alive, just like you are. I don't kill people anymore."

"I saw them! Laying on the ground!" The 'anymore' didn't registure right away. "I _saw_ you attack them!"

"Yes, attack. Not kill. They are very much alive, but I'm not sure what they're doing." Shadow groaned once again and shifted once more until he was facing the back of the plush chair, resting his head on the armrest. "I found them before I found you, in fact."

"You-- They're... they're alive?" Finn didn't stop there, instead he crawled over to Shadow and set his hands on the chair to prop himself up. "Where are they? Take me to them!"

A rough shove left the jackal sprawled onto the floor and he narrowed his eyes, hands balling into fists at his sides as he sat up, but he did nothing with them. Instead, he dropped the subject for later. Shadow wanted to sleep, and from his short time staying there, he knew that whatever Shadow wanted was what happened.

But, he was a bit grateful. He told him about his previous squad, which he didn't have to do. He could have lied and let him believe that they were all dead still, bjt he didn't. He wasn't _that_ grateful, though, because he probably would have found them on his own, given the chance he could leave the damn house. However, with him being as weak as a flower right now, a simple breeze could probably knock him over.

Since sitting and waiting for the other to wake up wasn't his cup of tea, the jackal stuggled to his feet and looked around just to toss his blanket over Shadow's side. Even in his sleep, the hedgehog grabbed it and pulled it closer.

In fact, in his sleep, Shadow didn't _look_ asleep. He just seemed to be laying still, but after a few seconds of staring, Finn grunted in slight disgust and headed into the kitchen. It was weird to watch anyone sleep, and it was weirder to watch _Shadow_ sleep somehow.

It was nearing the afternoon, right? Breakfast would soon end and transfer over to lunch, and since the hedgehog made him breakfast, he would show how great he was and make lunch!

Now, came the question: What did Shadow even eat?

He knew what _he_ ate, and what his squad would normally eat, but he wasn't the one to handle the cooking. That was Yazzy's job, and she loved it. Especially the part where she could make the foods pretty and show off on what she could make on a time crunch.

...Now that he thought about it, he was a terrible cook. Everything he made burned, but he had _no_ clue why. "What's a good lunch?" He whispered aloud, then kneeled onto the ground once he legs cried out that he couldn't handle standing any longer.

Finn was in _way_ over his head.

Shadow grumbled a few curses under his breath at a rather pungent smell, but tried his best to ignore it. After sitting with his eyes closed a little longer, the smell grew stronger and he heard someone chanting "Chaos chaos chaos chaos--" under their breath in increasing panic before hearing a slamming sound.

It grew quiet, so he figured Finn was looking at him to see if he woke up, so he remained still until he heard the other moving again. Shadow never went to sleep, only laid down.

A quick curse and a thud of a plate hitting the wooden counter, along with a fork. scraping said plate, he had enough and rolled over just to have Finn standing no less than a foot away. They made awkward eye contact until the jackal looked away.

"I tried to make you lunch..." He choked, "Baked chicken, broccoli, and brown rice."

Shadow was majorly confused but took the plate, peering down at it with a neutral expression. The only thing recognizable was the broccoli, but even then it was a bit soggy and overcooked.

So, the horrible smell earlier was burnt food. Alright.

"Thank you. You didn't have to do that." Shadow took a forkful of the rice, making sure not to react when he was hit with a wave of 'much too salty water' before the actual flavour of the undercooked rice itself.

"Come on, you don't have to eat it. I tried and it's garbage, it's all bad." Finn sighed "You know how much bread I burned trying to make grilled cheese? I even turned the cheese black, Shadow. The _cheese_."

With that knowledge, he finally let himself react by folding back his ears. "I can make more bread, but I... I'm... _proud_ that you attempted to make me something unprompted." He winced at the word proud, as if it was sharp and hurt his tongue to say, and picked at the overcooked chicken. _That_ didn't taste half bad.

"Ugh, don't say proud, and spit that out, I knwo you're gonna get sick," He reached forward but Shadow turned away.

"The chicken is actually edible, so there's some promise. Next time, ask me before you cook, I can show you what to do. Also, neber touch my vegetables, I spend so much on them."

It wasn't like Finn felt nice to get compilmented on the chicken or anything! So he crossed his arms and let Shadow finish the horrible chicken and attempt to shove down the other food until he was _sure_ he heard the other gag and snatched the plate away.

"Enough!" The plate was scrabbed into the garbage, meeting it's demise with the burned toast and blackened cheese, along with the two other chicken thighs that couldn't be salvaged and the broccoli that turned to mush.

"Finn?"

"What?"

Shadow looked up, then smirked lightly and narrowed his eyes. "Looks like you have a soft spot after all."

"I do not!" Finnigan shouted, but all thoughts flew out the window when the sight of the hedgehog throwning his abandoned tennis ball across the room made him charge after it.

"You do." Shadow was still very much so exhausted, but what were you gonna do?

"Do not!"

Finn grabbed the ball and glared at the hedgehog, but his stare was more empty.

"I'm sorry about what happened, when I lost my temper earlier. I keep hurting you and I don't mean to." It was so sincere it felt weird coming out his mouth, so Finn folded back his ears.

"It's... it's alright, I forgive you..."

xox

 _hey, Transformation and HM are coming later tomorrow because I'm going to the doctor's again. Whoop'te doo._

 _also, Moving On will happen probably two-three days from now. People are really into Mask right now, and since i have most the chapters written already i'll just post whenever_


	5. chapter 5

On that night, Shadow finished the guest bedroom after laying still for another hour as 'sleep'. The room was furnished by only a bed, table, and lamp, but it was enough. Finn didn't need a fancy, pre-decorated room in his opinion.

It basically felt like a fresh start, and though he was desperate for one, it felt like he wasn't ready. Not yet, at least.

It didn't help his ego knowing that he and Shadow got into another fight again right after dinner, making Shadow stomp his way up the stairs and straight into his room without another word. The fight had been pretty pointless because it was about an injury where Finn burned himself whilst making "lunch" but didn't tell the hedgehog about it. When he noticed later on, he scoffed and told him that he was clumsy and reckless before trying to wrap it up but the jackal snapped at him for the insult, claiming that the burn wouldn't have happened if he was ever given his gloves back. It went back and forth for a good hour before Shadow hissed bloody murder in annoyance and turned in for the night.

In reality, it was most likely a joke. He did the same with his squad, he remembered, when they got hurt on the job or doing mundane things or even stupid things like seeing who could throw a knife the farthest. He'd call them stupid but not mean it in the slightest, but... After a while of not saying it and not hearing it, being joked with sounded painful now.

With a grumble and turning over for the umpteenth time that night, the jackal pulled himself up from bed and dragged himself over to his bare window. He didn't have curtains, yet, but it didn't matter too much. Finn's tail twitched in an irritated sense as his eyes scanned the nearly pitch black surroundings. With the light off, it was easier to see, but the moon shone hardly any light.

Outside seemed like a mystery to him now, both wanting to go out yet wishing to stay inside, too. His unsightly face had been marred more, and now with the injuries littering his body, he felt like a monster, for lack of a better word.

Since he couldn't sleep and he knew he would end up annoying Shadow further by going to wake him, Finn left the room to go downstairs. He tried to descend them normally, but of course it didn't work quite right and he ended up hopping down most of the way. But! With no one looking, he was glad to not hear laughing following the stumble he made at the end.

The living room looked scary at night, to say the least. The fireplace was out with not a single ember of heat remaining, leaving cold, burned ash there instead. The couch and chair were stiff and cold to the touch, too. It was if no one ever lived there, like it was abandoned.

"Judging by how often he leaves the house," Finn whispered to himself "It might as well be."

He found his way into the kitchen, looking around a bit at all the other things that were slightly different than before. There were dishes in the sink, along with a mess on the counter from where Shadow prepared the food they had for dinner. He even left some things out, and the jackal didn't know if it was on accident from forgetting or if the argument pissed him off and distracted so much that he left it.

So, with a peek over to the clock hanging high on the wall, he read it as 1:16 AM and started on the dishes. There weren't many, and luckily the rubber gloves on the counter fit his 'in-desperate-need-of-a-clipping' claws well enough that he didn't risk irritating his burn. After the dishes came the counter, and the consequently the stovetop, before his nose was assaulted by the scent of trash where he realized it hadn't been thrown out earlier and was full of burned and undercooked food.

Finn pinched his nose and walked past it, knowing that he had to know where a dumpster was before he just lobbed the trash out the door, which he would have normally done under any other circumstances.

 _This would be his first time outside,_ he realized, hand freezing on the lock, _what did outside look like? Where did Shadow live?_

The heavy wooden and metal door creaked as the lock clicked open, and, slowly, the jackal stepped out. Being barefoot didn't bother him, but what did was seeing just exactly where he was.

Shadow lived on the outskirts of the resistance's town, the one they had been rebuilding for a while. He was higher up on a slightly perched hill, looking down over the many houses downed and the multiple huts taken up in their place. Though the place wasn't big, it was one of them that was hit the hardest. Robot husks and pieces were hung and crashed everywhere, having torn up trees and paved roads where flat earth would have stood. The even more stressing sight were the many mobians still up, still working tirelessly into the night with building either more huts, bigger for more people to fit, or flat out trying to set up another house from the remains of a previous one.

If Shadow had been telling the truth, then... He left his squad out in _this._

Looking left and right, he saw houses of either one story or two, far enough that they were hard to see but close enough to know that they were damaged but still standing.

Even with all the destruction he and Eggman caused, all the loss, all the pain and suffering, none of them had given up and were still working hard to fix everything again.

Not even all the mobians he saw were nocturnal! There were plenty there they were completely exhausted but still carrying others around and hauling supplies to one another.

...Just like Shadow.

Finn turned around at that thought and looked up, finding his and Shadow's windows and looking in. His was empty, as expected, but Shadow's wasn't. The hedgehog was leaning against the sill and pressing his forehead against the glass, staring out into the sky with a look of pure sadness and longing. Finn didn't know why, but it felt like a thing he would figure out eventually when Shadow was ready to tell him.

The jackal went back inside, folding back his ears when he realized he left the door open yet not thinking about it too much as he pinched his nose and took the garbage bag out and to the dumpster, which was luckily less than a block away from the house. His thoughts were on other things, like how terrible he was for doing this _\-- all of this_ , to everyone. Just because he thought he lost his squad. All the pressure was on him to be strong, to be good enough to save those closest to him and show Eggman how great he was, but he failed. He failed without landing a single attack on... on Shadow.

The very same person who took him in under his wing when he was at his lowest.

...He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to live with this, what he's done-- He didn't deserve to _live._

Finn? What are you doing outside, you'll catch a cold again." Shadow called weakly from the doorway, looking at the dog staring straight at the ground with slumped shoulders. He didn't respond, so the agent drew closer.

"Finnigan...? Are you okay?" his voice was heavy, sounding as if he was close to tears a while ago but never let them fall. The jackal wasn't far behind.

"How do you live with having me in your house, after I've done _this?_ " Came his whisper, tired and strained as he refused to look up. His eyes stung.

"It's late, Finn. Come back--"

" _How!?"_

Silence dragged on for a handful of second, and just when the jackal opened his mouth to confirm that the other didn't know why, Shadow sighed and responded.

"Because everyone deserves a chance, Finnigan. Everyone deserves to live and be saved because they will made a difference. Because, I know that-- I... I just do, okay?" He gripped his shoulders in a firm, reassuring hold. "Damnit, I'm not good at comfort, Finn. Get back in bed and sleep, okay? We'll talk about it more in the morning."

When Shadow's hands dropped from his shoulders, he was quick to grab the hedgehog's wrist and look up. They held eye contact for a few seconds until he looked away. Shadow had shed a few tears. "...Thank you."

"Don't thank me," they both went back inside, closing the door behind them. Shadow wasn't bothered by the contact on his wrist.

"I'm probably going to cry for a few minutes, though." Finn sniffled once he was at his doorway but Shadow simply shrugged.

"Okay, just as long as you sleep. You annoyed the hell out me until I laid down, and I will gladly do the same thing until your ears either fall off or you pass out from hearing my boring voice." It was said with a smirk, and, now understanding it was a joke, the former villain chuckled twice and returned to his bedroom.

xox

 _as a result of me posting these randomly, they will have either no note or a very long note at the bottom and will hardly be edited. Though, they will have effort mixed in._

 _Finn-- Is healthy enough to walk for extended periods of time now, but stairs and balancing on one foot is too much of an strain. Shadow has taken his shoes and gloves and destroyed them because they had the 'infinite' symbol on them._

 _Shadow-- Is the leader in the rebuilding project because of his strength and endurance. Because so, he hardly sleeps and more often than not stays up at night and cries while reminiscing._


	6. chapter 6

The wee hours of dawn came around, and with it, a jackal overthinking too much to sleep and a hedgehog with too much weighing him down to rest his eyes. When Shadow came downstairs, movements slow once again as he looked over the clean kitchen with dizzy eyes. It didn't register at all in his brain, so, going entirely on auto-pilot, he pulled the waffle maker down from the bottom cabinet and a mixing bowl from the top. It was seconds before the instant pancake mix was ready, and the hedgehog tipped the bowl to pour it in.

Finn walked-hobbled downstairs and sat heavily in one of the chairs at the table, growling to announce his presence. He never got to sleep well when he lived outside for those four days, so when his body got so used to sleep just for him to take it away again was taking a toll. Not as much as it was on Shadow, but he was sure it was a lot. The waffle iron wasn't even plugged in, yet he was staring at the black machine waiting for the beep to signal the breakfast ready.

"It's morning," he stated, and Shadow's faint incline of his head showed he was still alive. "So, let's talk. About my... used to be squad."

"...Wh..." Shadow blinked a few times and it seemed his brain began to work again, as he reached up to actually plug in the machine this time. "What about them?"

Slurred words wasn't a good sign, but it went ignored. "Where are they? You said they were all alive, and I want to know where they are. Are they still together?"

Opening his mouth, the hedgehog found himself hesitating to answer, then: "I didn't say all of them were alive." It came out in a breathy statement, and he could just feel the silence building like a thick wall surrounding them.

"...You said you don't kill-- that you didn't kill them, Shadow." Finn's claws dug into the table. "You said. You said it."

It was a lose-lose situation no matter if he told the truth or a lie and Shadow continued to stare at the machine. He was frozen. "I..." --started it-- "Didn't...kill them."

"Then what did? Who did? What happened to them!? Tell the truth, you coward!" Finnigan snarled and beat his fist on the table once, just as the machine beeped. Shadow opened it and ignored the puff of steam to set the waffles on a plate and put the plate on the table, but neither one touched them.

"...W..." He sighed, now scratching the already abused table with his exposed claws. He forgot to put on gloves this morning. It didn't help that he was majorly dizzy and had to sit in order to not fall over. When was the last time he slept? two... weeks ago? "I attacked them, and hurt them. Some... more... than others."

Finn was losing what little temper he had left and stood, body tense and tail thrashing. Shadow looked up to meet his eyes, the jackal was snarling so heavily it looked like he was foaming at the mouth. "Tell me! Tell me you bastard! You creature! Tell me the truth!"

He felt cornered, so, with effort he tried to hide, Shadow pushed himself to stand and tried to stride into the living room with an air of calmness, but it was waning. Shadow was going to pass out, and he knew it, and he felt it coming. Laying down would be a good choice but it wasn't an option right now, so he settled for leaning against the mantel instead. He wished he would stay up long enough for the conversation to settle, but with his legs crying at him in every single language he knew, he knew he didn't have time to beat around the bush any longer.

Finn had followed less than a step behind him, way too pissed to realize Shadow was in a bad situation. He simply snapped for him to explain.

"Some had irreversible damage-- were in the hospital, and taken-- taken somewhere, a base--" Shadow slurred "But when Infinite-- Infinite attacked, Sonic defeated, no medicine, no shelters, eventually, some didn't..."

He didn't get to finish, and even if he did, he didn't think the outcome would be any different.

Leaning against the mantel was a terrible idea as Finn grabbed the metal fire poker and swung the blunt end down over Shadow's head, causing him to gasp at the sudden pain and reaching up to feel the area. Before much else could be done, the jackal turned the poker sideways and pushed it against Shadow's neck and slammed down with all his strength, pinning him to the wall.

His hand and neck were trapped under the metal bar and and he turned his head to the side to suck in air, but barely anything happened. Shadow's left hand was free so he lifted it and grabbed at the pole, trying to push it away, but everything was fading from him far faster than it should have.

"Shut up! Shut up shut up shut UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!" Finn screamed, so loud and hard that spittal fell from his jaw, but he didn't care and continued to scream. He continued to scream well after Shadow stopped responding, well after he slumped in his hold, but didn't stop there.

Shadow laid on the ground, dead or dead to the world, Finn didn't know, but at this point his mis-coloured eyes were clouded over with tears as he raised the poker, sharp-end down, above his head.

"I DIDN'T, YOU DID!" the jackal now chanted, stabbing the poker down as he turned his head. He heard a meaty squelch and felt the sensation of stabbing raw beef with a fork, but he didn't stop. With each chant, he raised the poker again, words drowning out Shadow's barely awake mumbles of slurred agony and pleads.

"YOU KILLED THEM! YOU KILLED THEM!"

Again, and again, dark, nearly black blood splashed up from Shadow's body, from where the jackal didn't know, with every viscid stab. It coated his paws and legs and the floor and the end of the poker, and finally, when he finished, he let go of the rod and let it clang to the floor. It echoed throughout, and then it was quiet.

The house was so silent.

When he finally looked down, his hands were the first thing he saw. They shook heavily in either fear or realization of what he did, or perhaps a mix of both. Then, as his eyes continued downwards, he saw Shadow's body.

He was sprawled on the floor, unmoving. Blood oozed from the multiple deep, jagged holes littering his body, starting from his stomach and all the way up, past his chest and a few near and in his neck as well. Flicks and droplets of the dark liquid stained a wide area around the two, turning the wooden floor nearly black. It even dribbled from his mouth and nose, as well. From the way one of Shadow's hands were laid, he tried to block a stab at one point, but the end of the poker simply stabbed straight through his hand and out the other side like paper.

Finn's body was shaking like a leaf as he stood, looking around as if to check if anyone saw him, then turning and leaving through the front door.

It was so early. He was so tired.

People were still diligently working. No one had noticed a thing. No one had heard a thing.

Dirt, twigs, grass, and leaves were sticking to the blood covering his paws.

He was cold. He was shaking.

He was lonely.

He was sorry.

 _xox_

 _hey :)_


	7. chapter 7

Finn looked up, at the purple and orange skies, and breathed in deeply. His lungs itched a bit at the scent of a recently extengished fire, started in one of the huts not to long after he left Shadow's house. He had no clue who caused it, but knew Shadow would have stopped it much sooner had he managed to get outside.

His chest, eyes, and throat hurt from crying but he didn't pity himself at all. The blood on his fur dried into a weird, hard but sticky mess so when he scratched at it, the top layer flaked off and left his claws full of thick almost paste of Shadow's blood. He hadn't even bothered to wipe it off. In fact, he hadn't bothered to do anything since he left.

Sure, he thought, and came to the conclusion that while Shadow did hurt them, Finn himself was to blame for those who passed. It didn't settle right, and it gave him dark, dark urges. But, at that point, he was too depressed to act out on them. All he had the strength to do was walk, so he walked and walked and kept on walking until he found a suitable place to sit and sat. The jackal hadn't even left the area of the 'resistance'.

An idea had settled in his mind a while back, but before, that was when he was swimming with other thought on how to have a quick and painless death so he wouldn't have to deal with what he had done, and saw, so he didn't act on it. But now, while his mind was void of every thought except the vague feeling of pain and the original idea, Finn stood up and walked back.

Other than looking a little messy or ragged, he blended in perfectly. Everyone around was a bit dirty or dusty, and with his fur being black and the blood drying that colour anyway, he didn't attract much attention.

But, it was when he started getting to close to the inner circle, where all the business happened, he was getting eyed down by people he didn't recognize. People that were stoats and martens and weasels, all looking at him with pure hatred but not getting closer. At nearly twenty feel away from the actual bunker, he was shoved hard on the shoulder by a marten wearing a thick green vest, green gloves, and green shoes. A dog was right by his side wearing the same thing.

Once he was singled out, the rest turned away, unbothered.

"Why are you here? We've never seen you before and last we checked no one has been notified of a newcomer." The dog barked, hands on a belt around his waist. Finn had no clue what any of those things were, as they weren't wispons.

"I need to talk to... Sonic, or Knuckles, or... anyone..." His voice was hoarse from tears, but as he spoke, ths closer guards tensed up visably and looked at him warily.

"Do we know you?" the marten spoke finally, his voice so broken up it was obvious he'd been in a lot of fights. "Where did you come from? What do you need to say?"

"I _need_ to talk to _them_." By now, his voice was causing more harm than good. However, taking what little pity he probably had, the dog turned and smacked the meat of his fist down onto the wall a specific number of times.

It was quiet. So much so, that his ears trained on the only noise he could hear. All the mobians behind him, some in pain, but plenty all thankful and grateful and happy with what they have. It made him feel like a monster.

There was heavy squeak, and then a click of a lock, then one of the heavy plated doors slid open and revealed Amy and Silver. Neither of the two he asked for, but it worked.

"What is it, Dennis? We're kinda worried about something right now." Silver addressed the dog, and he shrugged a shoulder with a pointed glare.

"Apparently, _he_ had something to say to 'Sonic or Knuckles or anyone'."

Finn looked up, slightly glad that the two barely knew him. Yet, just as he thought that, Silver and Amy's passive stared turned into sour glares. He was sure they were slowly recognizing him.

"He smells like blood." The marten announced with a nod, and the hedgehogs sighed.

Well, he didn't know if that helped or hurt his situation.

"It's about Shadow." Finn started, aware that the two tensed up more. "He... Can I... _not_ say this out loud, in front of everyone?"

Amy huffed and walked out, grabbing something from the dog's belt and yanking Finn's hands behind his back. With two clicks and tightness around his wrist, the jackal tried to pull his hands in front of him to find out what happened just to panic when he couldn't.

"Come on, hurry up. Bad enough we don't know you, don't trust you, and you smell like blood, but you stalling just makes us hate you more and we're normally nice people." Silver snarled just as the doors closed, sending them into short darkness before a second door opened and they were in a larger, lit room. Not much was there.

Rouge stood next to Omega, pacing back and forth while trying to access her communicator. Vector was trying to console her, and Charmy was sitting atop of a carboard box right next to them and talking to his communicator. Espio, Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails were away.

And also, Shadow.

"Alright," Amy frowned. "You're in. You're not gonna be any more alone than this, now speak."

"Shadow--" He saw Rouge's head snap up at the name, and he feared the reaction. "Is dead in his house."

You could hear a pin drop, and then--

"YOU _MONSTER_!" and the jackal was on the nasty recieving end on a very heartfelt drill kick to his already injured chest, knocking the wind out of him and making him see stars. The ground was cold on his back, and with his hands cuffed, it was hard to get up fast enough to avoid the next high-heeled stomp to his stomach.

"Rouge," Omega commented, and with another aggressive stomp, not caring that her mascara was running down her cheeks and how the jackal was now yelping in pain, she stopped and let the large robot set a giant claw on her back.

Finn coughed and gasped in air, rolling onto his side, before he was lifted up and tossed onto the very high shoulder of Vector, who quickly flashed him his teeth-- but not in a smile.

"C'mon," the croc said "Let's check, Rouge, Omega. Charmy, Amy, Silver, please stay behind."

"Will do, Vector." Charmy waved, smiling brightly as if he hadn't a care in the world. As if he _didn't_ just see Rouge rage just then. It was somewhat nice to see a smile for once.

 _"Shadow, we heard what happened. We're coming, and please don't be dead."_

The first gasp of breath was heavy and painful one, and just as it happened Shadow turned on his side and retched up nothing but blood. The second breath was easier, and so was the third, until he got it all down pact.

What happened wasn't ideal in the slightest, and luckily he had been knocked out for most of it, but the fact that it happened still hurt in more ways than one.

Shadow looked around with a confused, empty gaze, then examined his body for anything he'd have to really worry about. Everything healed up as much as it could in the short span he was out of it, leaving just pock marks of the original stab wounds. The inside, though, was getting there, as it was troubling to breathe deeply and his throat hurt something fierce when he tried to speak.

The hedgehog got to his knees and then to his feet, testing his balance to see that he was pretty fine. A trip to the sink to cough up the rest of the liquid in his lungs and stomach later, he was in good enough shape to function. Not great, as he was still bloody, along with dizzy and unable to speak quite yet, but he was alive at least.

It wasn't his first rodeo, getting 'killed', but it had been by stonger people. Infinite was strong, but only because of the ruby impanted in his chest. The jackal was sure to have some residual power from that. Him also being so incredibly exhausted and drained that he was going to pass out wasn't a good combination either.

The door slammed open and he looked up to glare, only to pause in confusion at the multiple people at his door. Omega and Rouge were the first he saw, and then there was Vector, and, on his shouder, black and white fur came into view so the glare returned.

"S-Shadow...? I thought-- He said you were dead!" Rouge gasped, "I called so many times and you never answered-- we were so worried!" She started running into the house just to stop short at all the blood on the ground, right next to the soaked firepoker. A double take from the blood to Shadow, and she earned a shrug and a wheeze.

"Did," he coughed, and that was all his voicebox could create as it gave up a simple second later.

"Scanning," Omega walked in, feet clanking and clicking against the ground before making an odd sound as they met his blood. Shadow frowned and suddenly wished he had cleaned it up. At this point, it was just gross to be in the house any longer. "Vital signs: 86%. Not in critical danger. Medical supplies needed."

Shadow smiled weakly and nodded that, yeah, he wasn't doing so hot, and he could go for a good wrap up and rest with some warm food settling in his stomach.

The thought was quickly derailed when Vector was seen. It wasn't the crocodile he was worried about-- he was actually quite fond of Vector-- it was the _thing_ he was holding. _It_ had the _nerve_ to look at him.

He didn't pay much attention to them anymore, ignoring Omega trying to get him to sit and fully heal, and ignoring Rouge trying to get him to explain what happened as he walked towards the door. Vector was still outside, knowing that Shadow didn't like too many people around him at once, holding onto the bonds connecting the jackal's wrists behind his back while he aas still bent over his shoulder.

Shadow was walking so slowly. Omega stopped speaking, and Rouge quickly followed to see what he would do. Then, his paws made a scrapping sound as he unsheathed all of his claws, now accidentally terrifiying the croc. He stopped just a foot short, and Vector smiled nervously.

Shadow smiled back, then looked at the jackal just as it fell. Finn put his head down as Shadow growled.

It was such a deep, painful growl. A growl no one should ever hear in their life. A growl that meant and promised certain death.

And, though Shadow could hardly speak, he did have one word he could say!

"Die."

xox

 _the transformation is late bc yesterday was thanksgiving and today i had a shit load of stuff. i had enough time to barely edit this shit, so enjoy i guess_

 _also i love all the outrage i got from the last chapter. i love all the anger._


	8. chapter 8

Shadow and Finn held a staring contest, one Finn never wanted in the first place. Even when he looked away or dropped his head, Shadow continued to stare.

The hedgehog opened his mouth to say something, of just the name he knew would cause the others to take action, but he snapped it shut in the last second to turn back to Rouge. Then, he lifted his hands in quick symbols before crossing his arms and staring at the ground.

After a second of calculating, the bat looked over to Vector with an odd expression. "He said 'make him leave.'" She translated, but the crocodile didn't move from the front hallway.

"I mean, I'm all for throwing his guy in holding or beating the snot outta him, but I gotta have a reason, Shads." He groaned, thoroughly ignoring Finn attempting to struggle again as at this point he had _enough_ of this jackal.

Shadow simply turned away and crossed his arms in his famous 'I'm not going to speak anymore' stance, so, feeling a bit upset and out of the loop, Vector narrowed his eyes a bit and left with a small "See you later."

Once the door closed, the hedgehog sighed just as Omega set a clawed hand on his head. He assumed it was for comfort, but really he wanted to be alone.

"I'll... see you later, too, Hun." Rouge smiled, leaning over to peck him on the cheek and then grab Omega's hand. "Come on big boy, tall, dark, and broody needs some time alone."

The hedgehog looked at her and watched her leave with the giant mech, somehow not bothered by her motherly action and instead letting himself fall back, limp, on the couch.

Betrayed was a good word for how he felt. Confused. Flippant, too, with a mix of Anger in there.

He searched for days on end to find Finn-- No, _Infinite_ , to see... something. He didn't know what to expect; him dead, him injured, nothing. He didn't really have much of a plan when he found him, either, other than have a talk. Maybe he empathized with him? Maybe he knew he was the cause of this? Maybe he wanted to make things better? Who knows.

But, when he saw him jump in the water, just for him to stay and not surface once bubbles floated to the top, it... was horrifying to say the least. He knew many people, and many people he knew had died during the war, but he was lucky enough to not see any of them die in front of him. Bad enough he saw one death, of his might-as-well-be sister and best friend long, long ago, but he still wasn't over it.

Maybe, when he saved him, it was for his sake only? Even if the thought of saving someone just so you wouldn't have to see them die was a sick thought, he couldn't help himself from thinking that was what he did.

If that was the case, it didn't matter just a day later, where they began to bond. It wasn't much, and they argued frequently, but they weren't enemies. They hated each other for certain things, like how Shadow injured his face more than it already was, and how Infinite destroyed countless homes and people, yet they were trying.

It was nothing like his relationship with Sonic. _He_ originally hated Sonic for such a extended time that Shadow was sure he'd eventually cause the other to abhore him too, but it never happened. What happened was the exact opposite, and they became so close they sometimes called themselves brothers, but never aloud, because that was weird.

Infinite? Infinite killed him. Or attempted to, at least. When told something he didn't want to hear, the jackal went berserk and his immediate instinct was to kill.

"Then again, killing shouldn't be your first thought, he should probably get counselling." Shadow thought, then shook his head angrily. "Had he attacked anyone else, he would be in jail or dead. No counselling."

His pacing came to a halt when he stepped on something round and hard, lifting his foot to look down. It was the tennis ball, the one he gave to Finn for no good reason. The one the jackal seemed to love, as he always had it with him.

All his anger and frustration swelled up inside him and he picked up the ball, whipping it with all his strength at the nearest wall just to cry out a second later when it rebounded and decked him. It hit the floor and bounced a few times before stilling.

Angry at a lot of things both way too vague and specific at the same time, Shadow ignored the ball rolling along the floor and left out, going straight to the bunker without a second thought. Knuckles had came back, and with him, Sonic and Tails. The kit gave him a high-five while Sonic gave a fist bump, completely unaware of how hurt Shadow was at the moment.

"Hey, big bro." Sonic smiled, a bit happy but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Vanilla said Hi. You look like you got in a fistfight with a thornbush."

It wasn't his fault he had to go to counselling. "Thank you. You look like you stepped on a dog's tail and can't say sorry."

That startled the nearest guard, making her glance down at her tail in case Sonic somehow stepped on it without her noticing. Knuckles clapped her on the back and shooed Sonic and Tails away, grabbing Shadow's wrist to drag him to a more secluded hallway. It was a bit narrow, but the traffic was way down and noisey supplies weren't being carried.

"Who was that Vector brought in? He said it had something to with you, and that you got hurt pretty seriously. I know you know, and I wanna know, too." He cut straight to the point. The agent sighed.

"I... don't want to talk about it. Just make sure they stay the hell away from me, and nothing will get bloody in here." Shadow grunted and went to leave, but Knuckles stood in front of him.

"Shadow, you know I respect you, and respect your opinions and requests, but with stuff like him coming in bloody and you being brutally attacked, you can't keep everything a secret." The echidna set his hand on Shadow's shoulder, aware of the lack of reaction he got. Shadow hated to be touched. He should have knocked it off.

"I know." was all he said on the matter, before he folded back an ear at a sound a bit too faint for the other to hear. "He's just a bad person. I'm leaving, Gadget is calling me."

Knuckles watched him leave to tend to the red wolf, who seemed really happy that the other heard his mute call. Shadow, though glad about the distraction, couldn't keep himself from wondering something.

 _Why hadn't he said that was Infinite_?

The jackal in question sat staring at the bucket they gave him to wash up, frowning down at his red reflection. There were bathrooms in the bunker, he knew it, but here he was, scrubbing his fur with an uncomfortable brush and the soapy, bloody water that they wouldn't replace just yet. It didn't help that his cell could only be described as a cage, with a metal floor, ceiling, and three walls with the front being the barred door.

Deeming his fur as clean as it could possibly be, the jackal tossed the sponge back into the water and called out for his guard. After a few seconds of waiting, the empty room was lit up just barely, enough to see the red fur of his guard. Then, he frowned when he recognized it as Knuckles, the leader of this entire operation with a well known attitude and short temper.

"What?" He huffed, and he looked at the bucket.

"I need clean water."

"That's all you got, so what you're saying is that you're done." The echidna walked over, grabbing hold of the bucket's handle through the bars and tipping it over. The dirty water rushed out and flowed into the floor drain. The jackal stared at it, but didn't bother to say anything. He felt too pointless to say anything.

"Hey," Knuckles let go of the bucket, the clanking sound catching his attention. But, when he looked up, the leader just glared. "I don't know what the hell you did to Shadow, but I've never seen him so pissed off in my life. Be lucky _I_ came down here instead of him." with that, he left.

The jackal watched him go, and soon he was sitting in dim lights again. What would Shadow even do if they were alone together? And how did Knuckles even find out about Shadow? Did he come into work, still?

...Knowing Shadow, he ran on dust and willpower alone every morning to drag himself out the house and never returned until late afternoon to night, and each time just as tired. It made sense that he still came in to help, even if he almost died that day.

Maybe Shadow wanted to personally kill him. But, even as he thought it, he knew it wasn't true. Shadow didn't kill him when he first had the chance, and he didn't let him die when he attempted it himself.

Then, what the hell was happening? Why was he sitting in a cage? Why wasn't anything _happening!?_

He stood and banged his fist on the unyielding metal bars "What the hell are you waiting for!? I have nothing left in my life! _I_ tried to kill Shadow! It was _me!_ _I_ am Infinite!!"

His voice echoed off the walls, yet he was met by silence. Knuckles had left. He simply confessed to the still air.

xox

 _I appreciate you most when you're definitively dead_

 _Or bowing down when the crooked crown is on my head_

 _When my skull mask is on, you'd be wise to beware_

 _You're all circling the drain, my fame is still in the air_

 _If it were only me here, things would run so smooth_

 _Cause AH only has one problem, YOU_

review

at this point im just stating 'review' like a command what the hell

also ive been blasting the ah rap battle for hours now and im dying inside


	9. chapter 9

By now, the cold was expected. Finn rolled onto his side to face away from the bars, trying his hardest to sleep at least a few more minutes. He had no reason to be awake anyway, as all there was nothing to look at but the bars and the quiet, empty room.

Every day for the past two or maybe three weeks, someone new would come by to refill his bucket of water, give him a tray of three sandwiches, and leave. The one time Sonic came by, he turned and left the second he saw the jackal's fur. Sonic had sense. Of course, he didn't tell anyone that he left, so Finn was without water or food for the entire day.

He deserved it in his own mind, though, as the day progressed and his stomach began to growl every ten seconds, he recalled how much he hated starving.

One thing he found himself wishing for was some type of company. Before he was found by his squad, he was nothing. The smallest, loneliest, and kicked from his original village from stealing food. He had been so lonely for so long, but when those two other jackals found him and took him in, he never wanted anything more than that.

Vector didn't treat him nicely at all, similar to Knuckles. Rouge continued to blame him for Shadow being hurt, and even though he longed to talk, he stopped speaking for fear he would admit it. That would be a far more gruesome death than he would be prepared for if she found out. Tails did his job without a word, and Espio did it so early on in the day that the jackal woke up to the food instead of having to wait.

The one thing that they all had in common was that they left right away. Charmy showed up once unprompted, but with the first word, he was snatched away by Silver. They were probably punishing him by using the Silent Treatment; it was working substantially.

Except for when he was mad, in which he would howl and scream at the top of his lungs until someone came and yelled at him to shut up. He knew his howl was annoying- everyone knew that. It used to be his call for his squad to get back together had they been separated, but now it had a new use of annoying the hell out of his 'caregivers'... if he could even call them that. There was no care for him in their hearts. Besides Amy, she attempted to be nice.

He once bit someone, who he didn't know, for tugging on his tail for attention, His temper was still in works, clearly, so he often bit down his claws so he wouldn't hurt anyone too badly.

That was enough thinking! He needed to sleep!

Finn huffed through his nose and attempted to lay down even harder, shutting his eyes tightly and laying his tail over his face to shield any light. All the new position did be made him aware that he smelled bad and really needed a proper bath.

There was a light thud and he groaned, forgetting about sleep altogether to turn and regard whoever threw something at him. What he wasn't expecting to see was his tennis ball, stained red on one side, rolling to a stop a few feet from his cage. It was with a sudden feeling of desperate determination that he stuck his hand through the bars and tried to reach the ball, but all he managed to do was get a cramp in his arm. He didn't exactly know why he wanted the ball so much; it probably reminded him of Shadow. He tried again and cursed his now shorter claws as the ball was just inches from his grasp.

"Well, that's sad." Said hedgehog spoke, and Finn jolted his head up, eyes wide with both hope and surprise before seeing Shadow's not-so-pleased expression and calming down again.

A long pause of Finn pulling his arm back behind the bars, simply staring up at the ebony hedgehog, stretched on for far too long. Neither said anything and, eventually, Shadow sighed. Even though he loved the silence, awkward silence was something completely different.

"Apparently, you don't speak anymore. That's not my problem." Shadow stomped on the ball and it launched into the air, falling back down just for him to kick it once again similar to a soccer ball. "I'm here because I'm better and I can take you back to my house. All the construction is done."

He knew by 'all the construction is done' the other meant 'I can keep an eye on you,' but that was fine. Finn was getting pretty tired of sitting in a cage all day. That and drinking and bathing from a bucket with your only food source being the same dry bland sandwiches really wasn't such a wonderful life.

Shadow had started doing tricks with the ball by now until he stepped wrong and suppressed a hiss. Apparently, something was still wrong with him, but the resistance probably wanted the jackal out of their bunker. He imagined them pleading on their knees to take him in, as he was probably a thorn in their side from how much he annoyed them, or how bothersome it was to get up each morning just to make food for him.

"Aren't you upset at what I did...?" He croaked, eyes locked on the ball Shadow was currently balancing. It was the first time in a while he even bothered speaking, and, not surprising, it was towards Shadow. "Why are you taking me back? Aren't you afraid I'm going to do it again?"

"I am upset. But as I said, I did try to kill Sonic multiple times yet he still forgave me." The agent sighed and caught the ball, stuffing it into his quills and pulling out the keys for the lock. After a bit of messing with it, the door swung open, and Finn crawled out. Yet again, when his paws hit the cold rock floor, he shuddered and hugged himself.

"I refuse to be afraid of anything, this isn't up for discussion." Shadow finished.

Finn changed the topic immediately. "I really want shoes and gloves."

"Hmm, maybe if you hadn't tried to kill me, I would have been able to give you the shoes and gloves I bought the day before," Shadow grumbled a bit sarcastically, shaking his head somewhat to calm down. As Finn expected, he wasn't entirely over it and doubted he would ever be. The topic was dropped, luckily, and they both surrounded themselves in silence as they traversed the hallway. Many doors lead off into places he never saw and probably never would have the chance to see, but his mind couldn't help wandering over to Shadow and why exactly he was taking him back in.

They walked up the stairs and finally got above ground, in the main area everyone always recouped in. The rest of the resistance were sitting at decorated tables with drinks and snacks and a tray of sweets, all together and chatting with one another. Finn watched as Tails ran over and snatched Shadow off to the table of snacks, where he happily piled a tray high and bagged it. Sonic then roped him into a conversation, bouncing up and down until Knuckles came over and slapped him hard on the back for being too excited.

It escalated quickly, Shadow getting sucked into the party and getting congratulated on getting back to his old self along with finishing up everything. Vector was holding him close to his hip while Espio apologized for the big croc being an overbearing softie, but the real magic was Charmy offering him a very terrible looking black and red cupcake he made specifically for him that had a 'surprise inside!'

It reminded him of his squad, and how much he missed them. They were amazing, so loving and kind and funny. So strong and resilient, holding familial bonds with each of them even though they were just random Jackals that slowly banded together over time. Before his squad found out some of them were related, they held the other up like they were family anyway. But, now, he had no one. He was sure they... whoever was left, didn't want to see or talk to him again.

Well, he maybe had Shadow to turn to.

"Alright, sorry. They're a bit happy that I'm recovered and buildings are finished and my project with Tails has..." Shadow trailed off once the jackal tilted his head at him "You probably don't care in the slightest. Come on, they had to replace the floor and now I have carpet."

Thinking quickly, he huffed and followed. He had to change. He had to try, at least."I do care. What project with Tails?" his own tail twitched at the awkward way he said it, but he tried to seem serious about it.

Even that one caught Shadow off guard, opening the second door that leads to outside. It was early afternoon and the guards were off duty, also having a party of their own with the same snacks as inside. The sky was an odd colour, growing darker than it should be. The two felt the oncoming storm without having to mention it.

"Oh. The project was to create samples of my blood to see if I am a compatible blood donor, which I am. My blood also has natural healing agents that start working when in contact with an internal wound. If I'm well-fed I can produce enough blood for nearly thirty transfusions, so that's what's been keeping me busy for the past few days." He explained, all while Finn looked around in shock.

The place looked so different and clean. It really didn't feel like he was down there for so long. Shadow _couldn't_ have finished in just over two weeks.

"That's... nice." Didn't entirely catch what Shadow said because he didn't understand how Shadow's blood could heal people, but he was still interested. He also had no clue how Shadow even survived his attack, but that was up in the air as well.

Shadow at the cupcake, mumbling that it was a bit too sweet before remembering that a bee made it and probably added Honey to the ingredients. It was very good, however. At the last bite, he frowned and fished something from his mouth, pulling out a plastic ring and laughing quietly. It was one of those cheap novelty plastic rings the Chaotix created to promote their agency. Long story short, it didn't ever work, and they kept a couple boxes of them in their building. Finn watched as Shadow rubbed it clean on his fur before slipping it onto his finger.

"...I've been wondering..." The ebony hedgehog abruptly spoke up, not continuing to watch passing people with armfuls of bags from the grocer. It felt nice to look at as he gathered his words. Sure, there was a large chunk of land lost that could not be fixed, so they let it go to nature. Hopefully.

"Wondering...?"

"Wondering about you." Shadow looked over at him. "I've been told about the howling, and how you sometimes don't eat, and I've mainly been wondering about your mental state."

Already he didn't like where this conversation was going. "If you're saying I need a counselor, I won't go." A sharp stick dug into his heel so he paused to dig it out.

"I'm not saying that I'm suggesting it. I took one for myself a while back. Not so frequent visits." Shadow stepped up onto the small porch and stopped, hand hovering over the doorknob while he forced the next words out. "I want to be your friend, but you're not letting me." and opened the door.

Indeed, the floor was carpeted. Grey carpet, too. The two walked in without a word mainly because the jackal didn't know what to say. Shadow actually _wanted_ to be his friend? Unlikely. The carpet was warm on Finn's dirty toes.

"I'm sorry." The jackal whispered, but Shadow didn't hear it. He spoke louder and saw Shadow's ear fold back towards his voice. "I'm... sorry, for what I did to you, I mean. I'm sorry I blamed you for my squads' death, it was my fault. I shouldn't have done that, and I hate that I did, and I hate how I treated you. I am honestly, truly sorry."

Shadow turned, holding out the bag of treats. Finn had said nothing about Shadow admitting that he wanted to befriend the other, so he didn't know how to feel about it. The Jackal looked at the treats and held out his hands, him letting out a surprised grunt when Shadow let it go and the small weight landed in his palms.

"I had some already." Was all he said.

Finn sat on the couch and tore open the bag. Shadow went into the kitchen.

The sky was very dark by now, and he suspected that the guards packed up and went inside or home to finish the party. The large window showed the sky from his position, and, from it, he watched the clouds turn grey as small drops of rain dotted the glass. The rain slowly picked up until it was very heavy and the jackal curled his tail around himself. He was so lucky that the resistance bunker heard no sounds from the outside world; if he ever heard rain from inside the already dark and dreary room, his mind would have collapsed on itself.

Shadow then stoked the fire and went to the window, blocking his view as he turned his head to the fire instead. It was much calmer, and different, too. Black stone tile circled it now, along with a closed screen in front. All the fire pokers were gone. He didn't know how he felt about that information.

"I don't like the rain," Finn admitted, looking over to Shadow. He moved his ear again instead of turning. "My parents always called me stupid and worthless when I cried during storms."

Shadow leaned forward to rest his elbows on the windowsill and let his mind wander. "That's terrible. You're supposed to comfort someone when they are afraid, not scold them for showing emotions."

Finn picked up a cookie. It was shaped like a star, and without thinking of much else to say he simply bit into it. The cookie was very soft and chewy, much different than the shortbread always prepared at his village. "What was... your parents like? Are they still around?"

Shadow found himself wanting to laugh but didn't, instead smiling to himself. "Technically didn't have any, but to answer your second question, no. Dead. Hell, I technically wasn't born, I was created in a lab located in space."

"That's weird and stupid. I told the truth, you shouldn't lie." The jackal grunted quickly and glared "I was actually serious about my answer."

The hedgehog continued to stare out the window, at the ever darkening sky. Lightning crashed down and he mentally began to count. He honestly had zero comebacks to Finn's sudden and rude accusation, so he stayed silent. Thirty-six seconds passed as thunder echoed across the land. He heard Finn yelp behind him.

Finally, when he felt himself begin to cry at emotions he didn't even realize he stirred up, Shadow stood and scrubbed his wrists against his face to stave away any tears that might have fallen. Finn peeked from behind his tail at the sound, then slowly uncurled when Shadow moved across the room and towards the stairs, only getting up when he was waved to follow.

The hedgehog was entirely silent on the way up. It unnerved him. But, Shadow _was_ lying. He was _not_ 'created' in a lab, and he was definitely not in space, that was stupid. If he was going to lie, he'd come up with a better lie!

Even upstairs seemed so different yet the same, and, when his eyes trailed over to the door at the end of the hall, he remembered the hot water of a bath and longed for it. Shadow's silence seemed like nothing to him anymore.

"Your bedroom," Shadow growled, cutting Finn's thoughts right in half as he pointed. The door closest to the bathroom had the words 'ignorant crybaby' written on it, slightly scratched off and attempted to be painted over, but it could be clearly read. "Ignore that..." he sighed, but the jackal didn't comment on it. He was not ignorant nor was he a crybaby.

Inside was rather plain, with a normal wooden dresser, twin bed, desk with a lamp on it, and brown carpet. The walls had posters of simple pictures of scenery, or of Sonic, or just was bare.

The thing that caught his eye was something wrapped up in a box on top of his dresser which Shadow stormed in and took.

"What is that?" Finn asked and Shadow glared.

"It _was_ a reward. Maybe next time you won't call my childhood 'weird and stupid'." He hiked up the box under his arm and held it out of reach, mentally daring the other to make a move for it.

Finn glared right back and opened his mouth, ready to argue about Shadow getting mad that he had a dumb lie when something went sailing inches away from his head.

"You can have your damn ball," Shadow hissed. "I'm tired. Goodnight."

"But it's afternoon...?"

"Take a bath, you smell horrible." Was Shadow's response, disappearing into his own room and closing the door behind him.

Finn frowned, but Shadow's mood didn't stay on his mind long as more thunder crashed loudly outside, making him freeze and his fur puff in fear.

xox

 _hey shit_

 _this sat for so long unedited and so shit. This chapter had Gadget in it for a while, and all he did was grin and wag his tail the entire time he was mentioned. it was bad my guy. also, to clear some shite up;_

 _yeah, that is a small reference to Hive Minds. deal with it, man_

 _Shadow has a fascination with all types of weather and finds himself crying a lot when looking at it even when he doesn't realize it. it kinda just happens._

 _have you heard a jackal howl? they only do it to get attention from their packs but man is it shit_. it's AWOWOWAOAAOAO

 _the resistance is easily irritated when having to take care of someone not even in the resistance, like an unwanted guest._ Imagining having a rat in your house and its suddenly supposed to be your pet so now you gotta feed it so it doesn't die.

 _sonic/sega had a lot of novelty products that were super cheap an barely even sold because it was so shit. i Had a sonic watch that broke right away and didn't even tell proper time_

 _yeah, Vanilla is Sonic's counselor because he didn't want a random one_

 _Yes Shadow also had counseling._

 _also sending pms saying "thats not hw infinite would sound" is not helpful, bro_

Moving On's last chapter comes tomorrow.


	10. chapter 10

After a long needed and long awaited shower, Finn cut off the water and shook himself remotely dry. He was finally clean! Such joy! He no longer smelled of dry blood and mud, but he still needed a brush; one of the downsides of having long hair and fur.

"Shadow probably has a spare," he told himself, rubbing a body towel over his head as he stepped out the shower. "He's always got his stupid quills up in a style anyway."

As he passed his room he saw out the window that the worst of the storm had passed, leaving just a light drizzle instead. That was fine, as long as there wasn't any more thunder. It brought back old, bad memories.

He shook his head clear and looked at Shadow's bedroom door, where a sticker said 'hedgehogs only'. It was crossed out, and under it 'male hedgehogs only'. That too was crossed out, and under was 'EVERYONE JUST STAY OUT'.

Shadow's door was closed, as suspected, but luckily not locked. Finn opened the door just a crack and stopped, tilting his head and straining to hear any movements. He waited a few seconds, and when nothing came back, he cracked the door open a bit more and peeked in.

The room was nearly the exact opposite of Shadow. The walls and ceiling were painted a light blue colour, and the bedsheets were green with yellow pillow cases, but the only thing that was still like him was the pitch black carpet. He had a desk instead of a simple table, where a closed white laptop sat along with a cup full of pens and pencils and an adjustable red lamp. Framed pictures hung everywhere, of him with Rouge or Knuckles or Sonic and Tails. Many of them were simply just scenery.

He even had a TV mounted on the wall that was currently on but muted, displaying the news. The jackal squinted at it and read that they were decreasing tax on something or another, but he didn't know what that meant so he ignored it.

The hedgehog himself laid in bed, facing the door, with his eyes gently shut. He was sleeping so lightly, the only indication that he was out being his slowly rising chest and the light hum he was creating.

It all looked way too odd so Finn looked away and went to walk in, pausing just inches away from the ground when a thin thread came into view. Finn followed it with his eyes, trailing it to the walls where he found that the string was connected to lights and bells.

 _Clever._ he thought, stepping over the tripwire and silently closing the door behind him. _But not clever enough._

Now it was time to look for a brush. He figured it would be on or in Shadow's desk, but he would save that for last because he didn't know how heavily the other slept. The dresser was his best bet, but before he even had the chance to open the first drawer, he spotted the gift that had been in his room earlier. It was long and pretty thin, wrapped in plain brown paper and tied shut with a red ribbon bow.

A long life of living as a mercenary told him to never leave any clues behind, _but_... How could he not open it?

 _No! Brush first!_ He mentally growled and pulled open the top drawer, being met with a sleek black case. His ears folded back and he looked to Shadow, waiting for any movement yet again. All he did was flick an ear and sigh.

... _does everything have to be in a box?_ The jackal opened the case, seeing as it was already there anyway, just to slightly panic. It was full of knives. Just a case stuffed full of fancy, intricate, sharp, pointy, dangerous knives.

Why would Shadow have knives?

Why would Shadow keep knives??

Why would Shadow keep knives in his bedroom???

Finn hurried to close the case and move on to the next drawer, being met with faded, old belongings. It didn't interest him in the slightest at first so he moved on, but

curiosity got the best of him and he opened the drawer again, taking the things out gently. They were so old he feared they all would fall apart if he handled them too roughly.

There was a extremely faded, almost grey stuffed bunny toy with black beady eyes. Next to it was a neatly folded, also blue, puffy sleeved dress. He didn't try to unfold it in case he would ruin folding it back up. Underneath it, though, was a copy of Shadow's rings. They were a more vibrant gold than the ones he wore now, but the inside was scratched up so much it looked like he tried his hardest to tear them off. They didn't look removable. The last things inside were a copy of his shoes, missing the black leather, and a photo album that had seen better days.

Knowing he didn't have much time to look, but being too nosey to not look, he flipped it open to a random page and saw... pictures, as expected, but of Shadow with a girl and a large man that was slightly familiar. Pictures where there was a black blur zipping by and a few of Shadow draped over the girl, both sleeping in what looked like a hospital bed. A couple of him in what looked like testing rooms, some even while he was in the middle of an attack. Finn flipped through all the pages a bit quickly, careful of the frail paper, and grew disturbed with each one. More of Shadow with scientists, with the girl in blue, with the large old man. Then, he came to one where Shadow floated in a tank, hands and nose pressed to the glass while a very, very young child in a tiny hospital gown did the exact same thing on the other side. The photo was dated but the numbers were much too faded to read. On the page right next to it sat another solitary picture, or Shadow standing in front of a large window with nothing but stars and the Earth beyond it.

Finn closed the book and shook his head, putting it back along with everything else he took out and finally moved from the drawer. He was far too disturbed from it, somehow. What was so wrong about those pictures? Nothing should have been wrong about them, so why was he so distraught when looking at them?

The second side started with gloves and socks, the next drawer holding gaming consoles and games themselves, and the last old-looking books. Finn didn't take Shadow as a gaming person, but it didn't matter much to him. By now he was getting sick of searching, but really that left one other place to look: Shadow's desk.

Finn gathered up his courage and snuck over to the bed, peeking over at Shadow again. He continued to sleep, lax and dead to the world. The good sign was that he was still humming, which was probably his version of snoring. Luckily the hedgehog _didn't_ snore, that would actually be pretty annoying.

The desk was an absolute mess but that wasn't what he was there for. He saw a small framed photo, of Shadow, the girl, and the old man standing together. they all were smiling. Shadow was smiling.

Finn pulled out the only drawer and found it had many hair ties and bands and brushes and combs, every single thing that he needed! There were also bobby pins, and hair clips, and small containers of things and gels he didn't entirely recognize. So, he took a long bristled brush and a hair tie and turned to leave.

Something caught his eye seconds away from stepping over the tripwire and leaving, and that was the present still in the right corner, leaning on the side of the dresser. The top and the box itself were wrapped separately; all he had to do was untie the bow to open it and tie it back when he was finished. Shadow wouldn't find out! He just... wanted a peek.

The jackal did a full 180 and went over to the present, setting down the hair items to lay the present flat and grab the ribbon. A quick lean to glance at the sleeping hedgehog and he pulled, the simple knot coming apart and the ribbons falling loose. He grabbed the top and hissed when the paper crinkled loudly, sitting perfectly still while the hedgehog stretched in bed and shifted his position. Finn held his breath, and, when the light hum came again, he hurried to pull off the top and look down.

It was his sword. His red shortsword...! It was really it, really there!! Where did Shadow find it!? He... Finn gave it up when he learned he would be much stronger as Infinite, and he thought he wouldn't _need_ a sword anymore.

His tail thumped the ground in mixed feelings, looking at the sword and remembering all the times he had with his squad, when he first got it, and where it was made. He ran his fingers along the smooth blade, gently smiling as his tail began to wag freely behind him. There were a few chips and scrapes here and there, but it was clean and shiny just like brand new. He remembered when Brant first sharpened it for him, running a sharpening stone over the blade, over and over and over. He would pause and lift it to the sun, giving Finn high hopes he would be done, but he'd go right back to sharpening it. The sword never cut anything so well before, and he swore he would be able to down a tree in one swing. Of course, he couldn't, but it sure felt like it.

He let go of the blade and simply stared at it in the box, but something felt off. Just, really off, like something was missing. Nothing was wrong with his sword-- sure, it could use a sharpening, but that was it. He stared down at it, rubbing his thumb along the blue and red leather handle and tried to figure out what was wrong. Then it hit him like a brick; The humming stopped.

All his fur stood up on end and he peeked around the dresser, looking at Shadow as he now sat up in bed. He was staring at his desk, luckily turned away from the corner. Finn's heart was beating so hard he was sure Shadow could hear it. Shadow turned to look straight ahead again and Finn yanked himself back behind the dresser, staring at the wall with a hand slapped over his mouth.

The hedgehog stood up, yawned tiredly, and dragged himself over to the door and left, shutting it behind him.

The jackal let his breath go but didn't let himself relax whatsoever, quickly boxing back up the sword and putting it back where it leaned. He picked up the brush, sprinted to the door, and pressed his ear to the it. He faintly heard Shadow doing something in the bathroom, like running water. Finn opened the door and tiptoed out, nearly launching himself down the stairs and to the living room where he sat on the couch and started to brush his tail like nothing had ever happened.

Minutes later, after tossing out the shed fur from his tail and silently glaring at his hair where the brush now sat, tangled beyond retrieval, Finn heard Shadow coming downstairs and turned to him.

"Hell-- What... are you doing?" Shadow stopped in his tracks with an expression the jackal hadn't seen on him before "You look so terrible-- is that _my_ brush?"

"Come on, now's not the time. Pity me, I've been yanking at this thing for hours!" Finn emphasized it by pulling hard on the brush, screeching in pain just a second later when it still didn't come free. In fact, a few strands were ripped out instead of the brush.

"It is the time, considering that's my brush, but I'll still help you." He sighed and went to the other side of the couch, accessing the damage.

Finn's fur was naturally sectioned off, similar to quills, but what he ended up doing with his brush, _specifically not made for_ _fur_ , was undo half of that and get increasingly tangled in the other. He looked like a fuzzy haired aging clown in the middle of a hairdo.

"This is terrible," he sighed and lifted the brush gently, pulling at a few strands in hopes he could retrieve his brush. And save Finn's hair, too, yeah. "And not so salvageable. I have to cut it free, so--"

"You will _not_ cut my hair!! A Jackal's hair is sacred!" Finn shouted, raising his hands to protect his disheveled fur "Just remove the damn brush, hedgehog!"

By then Shadow had already left for the chest of drawers, opening the top one and pulling out scissors (actually made for fur, I say again) and the brush Finn was supposed to use in the first place. He had no electric razors because he never had a need for them, and since Rouge was always styling and cutting her hair over at his house he had no reason to throw them out.

"Yeah yeah, sacred, cannot be cut even when things are tangled in it, blah blah." Finn looked over to him and opened his mouth wide, ready to yell or say something to get the scissors away from him, but with a quick snip the brush fell down and thudded against the couch before falling to the floor.

Shadow picked it up and pulled the now loose hairs from it, happily concluding that he could still use it without having to buy another.

"...My hair..." a whine distracted him, so he frowned when he saw Finn was actually upset about a lock of his hair being missing. So, he went back to the chest and showed him a mirror, where the jackal quickly went red in the face and pulled back his ears at the terrible state his hair was in anyway.

"I can fix it so it at least looks normal, alright? I'm going to make dinner afterwards so if you complain too much I won't give you any." The threat worked and the other shut his mouth with a snap, going over to sit in the wooden chair Shadow set up and frowning at his lap.

This was... odd and uncomfortable. He already hated being touched, and being touched by Shadow was icing on the poisoned cake. If he was totally honest it wasn't that bad, it felt nice for someone to help him when he was struggling, but feeling the brush, hearing the snips of the scissors, and feeling the scratchy, crunchy feeling of them slicing through his fur was terrible. He wasn't even sitting for ten minutes before there was a bit of a tug and Shadow said "done" and left.

Fin whirled around, looking at the relatively small amount of hair along the floor just as he was handed the mirror again.

His hair... barely changed. It was shorter, yes, but not by much. Maybe a few inches. It was also tied up in a loose ponytail. Finn found himself actually frowning at his reflection, wishing that Shadow _did_ cut it shorter.

"Were you telling the truth?" He blurted out, tilting the mirror so he could see Shadow moving about in the kitchen.

"About what, your hair? It's not bad, I didn't really cut anything."

"No, about... your parents, and the stupid space thing." he saw Shadow pause, in the middle of stretching up the reach something. He sighed as he grabbed it and looked over at the back of his head.

"I was. I technically never had parents, but the person I considered my father is dead. The person I considered my sister is dead. I don't know why I'm even explaining since you don't believe me." The hedgehog placed something in the pan and there was a loud sizzle. "Just drop this, alright? I don't want to explain." Finn decided to stand up and turn around, sitting backwards on the chair.

"Then make me believe it." he started, not even sure where he was going with the sentence. "I don't actually know anything about you, how can we be friends if you don't explain yourself?"

'Father' and 'Sister' irked him, too. Were those people...?

The agent turned around slowly, staring at Finn with dark eyes. Then, "My name is Shadow the Hedgehog, and that's all you need to know. Now _drop_ it, jackal, if you know what's good for you." He turned back, breathing slightly sped up. "And-- Remember, I'm cooking your food. You have no idea what I'm putting in it." he added as a threat, hoping the other would leave him alone.

Luckily he did, leaving the hedgehog to his own thoughts in the kitchen.

Shadow glared down at the stake. If Finn had the gall the sneak into his room, open up the gift he was going to give him tomorrow, and go through his most personal belongings, who was he to try to demand knowledge he had already seen?

It was really hard to keep focus, but, soon, Shadow took a breath and finished dinner. The steak also had mashed potatoes so he did get a good mash going along with letting off some steam. Green beans were the veggies and, after he made both plates, he called Finn into the kitchen so they could eat.

The jackal slowly and quietly found his seat, whispering a small "thank you" and staring down at his food. Shadow started to eat silently, watching the jackal out the corner of his eye.

He was practically drooling at the sight and smell of the food, but was hesitating. "I didn't actually poison your food, you know. I was upset at you so I made something up." he dragged his fork through his potatoes, and seconds after he finished speaking, Finn tore through the steak like he never saw food in five days.

Finn was eating like a slob, but Shadow wasn't too upset about it. As disgusting as it was to see, it was a compliment to his cooking skills. Didn't help that Sonic ate around the same way, but faster.

"Since you already saw it, I'll explain. Those left of your squad had kept it, and when I talked to them, they demanded I take it and give it to you as a symbol of forgiveness." He didn't add 'but they don't want to see you again' because he didn't entirely want to ruin the other's day.

"S-saw what?" Finn choked, but it was far too late for lies. Shadow continued to side-eye him as he stabbed some green beans.

"After sneaking a look at a present, one would think you would re-tie the ribbons."

The jackal whimpered a small sorry, but was secretly excited. His squad forgave him? Shadow hadn't lied to him yet, from what he saw with the pictures, so they must have!

A weight settled in his stomach when the pictures came back to mind, finally figuring out what was so wrong with them. In every single one, Shadow looked the same. He didn't age.

"Stop staring into space and eat. In a couple of days you're going back to the bunker to start training; You're not going to sit around and do nothing while I'm around."

xox

 _ooh thanks for all the positive reviews!! you all are so nice!! Shout out to Bajy, AdmiralKirk, Infinite Ruby, and AbyssusTheDarkNightmare (nice name btw) for being just so awesome and helping me post this a bit early!_

 _I can't edit this a ton, it's late now._


	11. chapter 11

Sleep was nearly impossible for the Jackal: tossing and turning every which way and waking up to constant draining nightmares. Sweat started to dot his forehead when it was both spontaneous too hot _and_ too cold, body switching from kicking the covers off to snatching them up to wrap around himself. He shivered constantly, mouth opening to call out but shutting seconds later before any sound actually escaped. Cold energy spiked down his spine and blazing heat circled his chest, clawing deeper and deeper into his body as a heavy, warbling whir filled his ears.

Finn sat up and screamed, hands going to his chest and eyes opening wide as the sound exploded. His throat felt like he'd been gargling sand, and all he could do was scream. Even _that_ sounded distorted to his ears.

"Boss! We told you not to take it!" Came a familiar voice, and Finn turned to look for it just to gasp in shock.

He wasn't in his bedroom anymore. He was sitting on the cold laboratory floor, ruby still implanted in his chest, with his squad surrounding him. But, they looked different, corrupted. Their bodies stretched and contorted with shuddering breaths, all of them twitching like it was hard for them to simply exist. He could hardly move.

"You did this to us." Came Brant and Fin spun to look at him. The scar on his nose was bigger and dripping with a black liquid, the rest of his body pulsating. "You killed us, Infinite."

"I'm not Infinite anymore! I'm sorry!" He tried to speak, but his voice was far away, like a muffled cry, and his mouth did not open. He moved his sluggish hands up to his mouth but all he felt was the heavy metal of his mask. "I'm- I'm not-"

Yazzy came up right next to him, hopping up and down on one leg. The other leaked black ooze from her hip. "Why'd you do this to us, boss? You said we were family."

"We _are_ family! I- I can-" He tried to take off the mask, but it was melded to his face. His tail curled around his body and he tried again, feeling blood start to trickle down his temples. The mask didn't even budge, and by now it felt like it _was_ his face. " _Please,"_

More and more, all of them, even his previous tribe members, came and reached for him. Their eyes, bright yellow, glowed intensely until it was nearly blinding but no matter how much he covered his face he could still see the light. They chanted that _he_ was responsible, that _he_ was the one that killed them, that he _deserved_ to die just like they all did. He reached out and clawed at them, trying to swat them away but his fingers faded right through them. Again and again until he lost all energy in his arms. All he could do was cry and howl for mercy as they grabbed him. His body began to melt at their touch, fur turning pitch black and skin pulsating disgustingly.

Hands grabbed the jackal's still intact shoulders, ones without the leather gloves. Ones without gloves, period. He was being shaken and the room began to flake and crack away, leaving nothing but red and white as all the jackals faded from view. Finn closed his eyes and quickly felt at his chest and face, feeling nothing but a thin patch of fur and his normal face.

The warbling sound stopped, and it was quiet.

A handful of seconds passed before he opened his eyes again just to be face-to-face with ruby red.

"There you are," Shadow sighed and pulled back, letting Finn take in his surroundings. Everything was normal; He was sitting on his bed, the walls were still plain, and no one else was in the room other than him and Shadow.

"...where did I go?" Even his voice was normal, too. It was no longer distant and raspy.

"You didn't go anywhere," Shadow tilted his head, and Finn noticed grimly that Shadow had a large, four clawed slash against his face "You were howling and thrashing so I woke you up."

"You mean you didn't see anything? Was nobody in here? Are you sure?" The jackal leaned forward and grabbed Shadow's shoulders roughly, but the other quickly pulled away at the touch.

"No. We're the only two in this house, and you were asleep. If you want, I can check around in case I'm wrong."

Finn shook his head. If no one was around him, then what was that he saw? Where was he? Why was the ruby back? He couldn't have been sleep, that felt too real. "No... that's alright, thanks... Are you okay?"

Shadow sat next to him, staring straight ahead and resting his chin in his palm. "Yes, I'll be fine in a few minutes. I'm worried about you, Finnigan, but if you say you're okay, then I'll leave you to sleep. Though I suggest changing your sheets unless you enjoy sleeping in your sweat."

The jackal swatted at him with his tail and chuckled when Shadow sputtered and knocked the limb away. "I will. Go to bed, I don't want my new room smelling like an old hedgehog."

"I'm not _that_ old." He hissed and stood, going to leave the room. He paused at the door. "...Be okay, alright?" and left.

He didn't entirely know what he meant by that, but Finn stood up to replace his sheets anyway.

But, as he laid in bed, he didn't have the heart to sleep.

When the morning came it was greeted by Finn staring up at the ceiling, laying flat on his back on the living room carpet. As the sun flitted in through the blinds he found himself growling at it, frowning at himself. Last night was full of pretty much the same thing, staring at the ceiling upstairs before getting tired and going downstairs. At first, he started watching tv, but when he realized it was nothing but commercials about some product or another and was more or less annoying to hear constant talking, he took up reading. The lamp provided plenty of light, but even then he got bored of it when his mind kept drifting back to his... ' _dream_ '. So, his last place was on the couch to sleep, wrapped up in the blanket he first used when Shadow first took him in, but when he rolled over and fell off he didn't have the willpower to get up.

"I'm coming downstairs so you better have an explanation ready," Shadow called from the top of the stairs, only to reach the bottom and stare at the jackal growling at nothing. "I guess I have my answer on why you're up so early..."

"Shadow, can we talk?" Finn looked over at him just to see Shadow distracted by something else.

"That depends. Is the conversation going to end with you stabbing me about fifteen times?" Shadow hummed cheerfully and waltzed into the kitchen, already starting to prepare a simple breakfast of just fruit. Grudges die hard.

"Damn..." Finn hissed, sitting up slowly. "Do you ever have... flashbacks to something you've never seen?"

Shadow grunted and turned, tossing the jackal an orange and plopping down in his chair. He already had his gloves and shoes on. "That sounds like it has a story behind that. That's not called flashbacks, that's called a Hallucination." He sat up straight and bit into his apple "So, what's the story?"

Finn stared at the fruit but didn't do much else with it. He wasn't entirely sure if he should tell Shadow what was wrong or not, but, seeing as he needed to be different and show that he was trying to be a friend, he sighed. "Last night... I-- It felt like I was Infinite again, but... after I was defeated. I was teleported to the top of Robotnik's lair, before-- before he... he..."

His voice got choked up but he didn't know why. He thought and dreamed about Eggman ripping the gem from his chest too many times. He remembered the feel of the jagged edges being yanked out and leaving him a crumpled heap on the ground. But, why couldn't he say it? Why couldn't he tell Shadow that was what happened?

"You don't have to tell me, you know. I'm not forcing you to." The words of comfort were a surprise and the jackal quickly looked up, expecting Shadow to be laughing at him or grinning as a joke, but he wasn't. The hedgehog was simply looking at him with concern and had even stopped eating his fruit in favor of listening to him.

It felt... kinda nice. Finn shook his head. Shadow was only taking pity on him. He didn't need pity. "How am I supposed to train?"

Shadow sagged backward in his chair at the sudden subject change, _just_ when he thought he was getting somewhere, but that was fine. Everyone needed time. "With your sword, as expected."

"I- I mean," he struggled to peel his orange for a second but refused to ask for help, eventually getting it right. "I mean... How am I supposed to train in the bunker? Everybody there hates me."

" _I_ don't hate you." Shadow said matter-of-factly, "So you'll be training with me. As long as you stay by my side and don't ever do that annoying sound again, no one will care that you're there."

"Comforting..." By the time he even got to start his orange, Shadow was done with his apple entirely. Finn eyed him oddly with concern that he ate the seeds as well, but, judging Shadow's uncaring expression, he did. "Those have cyanide, you know."

The agent shrugged. "Hurry up; We don't have all day."

Finn frowned but hurried to finish his orange, spitting and throwing out the seeds, unlike a certain hedgehog. He was about to leave when his wrist was grabbed and pulled back so he turned and was met with Shadow holding out white cotton gloves and black and white shoes.

They both looked plain, but the thought that Shadow bought them for him specifically warmed his heart a bit, yet he tried not to show much emotion when he slipped them on.

"Who were you talking to last night?"

The question was sudden and disliked, so the jackal shrugged. "I don't remember. Can we not talk about that?"

"I don't usually worry, Finn, but you were saying-" he pushed, but when Finn stood up and glared, he backed down.

"I don't want to talk about it, Shadow."

The two grew silent as Finn left, leaving Shadow still in the house.

As he walked to the bunker alone, he met the eyes of a few guards and they actually began to run towards him instead of letting him approach. Then, after a few feet, they stopped and the colour drained from their faces before they whirled around and sprinted back to post.

The Jackal looked over his shoulder to see Shadow, as he thought, approaching with his ruby blade over his shoulder. Not going to lie, he looked pretty terrifying and it was justified why all the guards ran.

"Quick question, why exactly am I training if there are no threats to the resistance...?" He didn't add 'since I'm no longer Infinite' because they were in public and already getting looks, true most of them at Shadow holding a sword like it was no big deal but Shadow got the gist. So many mobians cleared a path once the two got close. It didn't help that the jackal's large facial and chest scar didn't exactly spell 'friendly and kind'.

"Everyone's doing something different. Right now, we're actually hunting down looters, and surprisingly there's way more to go around so we need a team to move in and collect them and what they stole. Not to mention that there's still plenty of rogue robots Eggman left roaming around." Shadow swung the sword and pointed it at him, letting the jackal carefully take it away from him in case Shadow decided to get wild with his swinging.

"Okay, fine." He agreed with no hassle. He wondered if everyone else had such a hatred for Robotnik as he did. And why the name 'Eggman' was said more than Robotnik. He did look like an egg...

xox

 _goodness. alright, I got a ton of stuff to say:_

 _no the ruby isn't back, it was a nightmare/hallucination._

 _The mask is gone._

 _if popular demand wins out, there's a possibility that some forces ocs may end up in this story. Not sure yet._

 _i fucking hate oranges ok theyre too tangy and way too difficult to peel and the fruit itself is mushy and weird and turns into a ball of pulp because it cant be properly chewed fuck oranges ok_

 _The jackal names are made up! I just created some, don't worry too much about it._

 _Finn's name is not at all cannon, and whenever his real name gets released I shall change it to match._

 _AbyssusTheDarkNightmare: Man thanks for leaving me a story lol. But, seriously, nice evaluation, and thank you for showing me. It was very in depth._

 _Dragonfire719: True, true. Shads had a lot of problems hehe. Also the sword was totally forgotten on my end, but you (or maybe someone else? i dunno) reminded me of it so i was quick to add it in._ _I really hope it wasn't just an edgy thing they added, I really like Infinite's character._

 _AdmiralKirk: Shadow was pissed but held himself together. He saved all the things he could from ARK, so someone (he barely even knew) touching it really set him off but luckily it was all intact. if anything was damaged, he would have flipped his lid._

luv u


	12. chapter 12

As they passed through the bunker, the jackal took in the many, many faces there. There were so many people, too many people. Everyone eyed him and his sword so much that he even gave it back to Shadow for him to ward them off with his stance alone. They were all just... _starin_ _g._ There was no reason to! True, he was suspected to have killed Shadow (and did) and was sitting in a type of prison for a few weeks doing nothing but annoying everyone, but he was a bit tired of the stares now.

"Don't you have something better to do!?" He snapped and scared away a few people, smirking evilly when they fled. It probably gave him a bad rep right away, but he wasn't sure if he cared or not.

The silence was both annoying yet prefered. He sighed.

"Finally! I can talk to you!" Finn was nearly knocked over from an overly excited bee flying into his face, hugging the jackal far tighter than he _ever_ wanted. The bee hugged the last hugs he'd give in the next twenty years out of him, putting painful pressure on his sensitive chest. Luckily, he was easily pried off. "What!?"

"I can talk to you! I'm Charmy the Bee, part of the Chaotix detective agency! But, right now, I help with food production! What's your name? What do you do?" The bee flew a couple of circles around him all while smiling happily. Finn stared at _him_ now and slowly lowered his ears and tail.

"I'm... Finn..." he glanced at Shadow but the hedgehog was now talking to a few girls now, so he was out of luck. "I'm here to train with Shadow."

Charmy looked over to Shadow, raising his hand and preparing a wave, but pausing seconds before. "Is that your sword?" Surprisingly, to the jackal, he wasn't at all afraid of it. "It looks so cool! I bet Espio would love it."

"Yes." he answered simply and looked over to Shadow once again, now shooing off a pink bunny but still attempting to talk away a wolf with glasses that was getting increasingly nervous the more Shadow started playing with his sword.

"Well, I'll leave you to your training then, Mister ponytail!" He poked Finn's nose, not at all bothered by the other sputtering out a surprised and angered noise "See yaaa~!" He flew off quickly, leaving Finn to glare angrily at the other's retreat.

"Looks like you made a friend. Good for you." Shadow finally shook off the wolf and was now leaning against the wall, lightly tapping the handle to one of the double doors.

"Like you're one to talk! Over there flirting while I'm being assaulted!" He stomped his foot and was surprised at the layer of sand that flew up. Sand?

"I wasn't flirting, and if you need to be saved from a bee, then I think you deserved to be assaulted." He left no room for arguing and opened the doors, letting Finn walk in first and quickly get covered in sand.

There was a cloud of it, and Shadow walked in with his hand over his mouth and eyes squinted, using the other to wave the dust clear. When it settled, Finn was growling angrily at a certain red wolf holding a lightning wispon.

"Gadget! Didn't think you would be in today. What's the occasion?" Shadow chuckled and went over to Finn, lending a hand in dusting him off.

The jackal glared again and watched in slight annoyance and fascination as the wolf hooked the weapon on his hip and began to sign. He was mute? No wonder he never heard the wolf speak. He still hated him, though, don't get him wrong.

"I see." Shadow didn't translate, and, not like he wanted to hear what the wolf had to say, but it would have been courteous.

"Get out. I'm training now." Was all he had to say to him, but the wolf just folded back his ears and grinned evilly. He didn't like the look.

"I wouldn't really threaten him. I mean, he did defeat you, as did I, and we both know who you used to be and Gadget is happily willing to walk right out those doors and tell everyone. If you thought they hated you because of the howling then you'd have another thing coming." Shadow shrugged and went over to the side, hoisting a large dummy over his shoulder and hauling it off the ring.

"Blackmail? You're resorting to _blackmail_ just so he can stay in here?" Finn turned to inspect his body, somewhat surprised that Shadow did do a pretty decent job of cleaning him off.

"Oh, he's not just staying."

A weight crashed into his gut and he was suddenly on the ground, laying face up in the sand and wheezing to try to remember how to breathe again. He sat up and coughed, squinting forward to see Gadget standing bravely and silently laughing, making punching motions to the air with the widest grin.

"I thought," he coughed again and was sure he spit up a mouthful of sand "I was training with _you_."

"Change of plans. Gadget will fight you, so you'll be fine."

He would _not_ be fine! It was bad enough that he was already defeated by him once when he _had_ the phantom ruby, but _again_ when he was simply training!? It wasn't even the fact that he was strong, it was that he had the nerve, the gall, the _audacity_ to be a _teenager_ too! He was being beaten by a teenager!

With a battle cry he sprung up to his feet and charged.

"So, after twenty minutes, that's fifteen tackles to sixteen." Shadow sighed, walking over to Finn and helping him to his feet. "Pretty impressive for your first time! Congratulations. But, Gadget..."

He turned to the wolf sprawled out on his side, still down from the jackal's last win. Slowly, he lifted up his hand in a thumbs up.

"He'll be fine, worry about me." Shadow looked at him in surprise, then lowly chuckled.

"Right, I will. How's your chest? I saw it hit the ground pretty hard." The hedgehog lifted his hand and moved to push the back of it against Finn's chest, to look for any injuries, but right before he even made contact Shadow was shoved back and landed in the sand.

"I don't need your pity!" What was he doing? This was what happened last time-- No, he needed to be better and more friendly. Shadow was trying to be his friend and he was making it harder.

"You really are a contradictory person." Shadow grunted, standing up and going to Gadget instead. He helped the wolf up and sat him on one of the nearby crates, checking him over for any markings. He did have a nasty bruise on his stomach and shoulder, but, other than those two, he would be fine in a few days.

"I'm done with him now, so hurry up and fight me!" Finn yelled from the background but Shadow was quick to ignore him.

"Really, are you okay?" he asked Gadget instead, and the wolf nodded and started to sign.

' _Are you? You're strong for trying again_.' True, he was very reluctant to take Finn in a second time, and was more leaning on the side of letting him sit and rot in a cell until he went crazy or expired, or both, but something in his mind told him not to. Shadow shrugged.

"I am, don't worry about me." he stood and left the other be, going to stand across from Finn.

"Finally! I know you two were talking about me." he snarled, and Shadow hummed.

"You're so insecure." They were, but he didn't need to know that. "But, while we're on the subject, I'm not going to go easy and I'll make this payback for both trying to kill me and rifling through my stuff. Deal? Deal."

Finn didn't even have enough time to say "Wait" before Shadow made him crash into the doors of the arena, flying outside and collapsing against the wall. His breath hitched and he tried to stand, hand going up to his head to stop the oncoming headache and the pounding pain from smashing it against the wall.

He looked up to see his blood dribbling from the impact in the wall, the flow growing steadier until it was nearly a waterfall of blood cascading down and filling the halls. He tried to hold his breath but it felt restricted, like everything was pressing down on his chest and something was covering his face. Finn moved his bloody hands from the back of his head up to his face, trying to feel what was blocking him from breathing, when he felt the cold metal of his mask.

"I'm not him anymore!" He gasped, fingers and claws trying to peel away the metal to no avail.

He couldn't move his lower half. The blood was rising past his chest now, and chanting filling his ears. Everyone's blood. Everyone that he killed, this was their blood.

"I didn't mean to..." His eyes slid closed as the blood rose above his head, cutting off anything else he tried to say. Hands shook at his shoulders.

"Finnigan! Snap out of it, you need to breathe!"

With that, his eyes snapped open and Finn sat up, coughing and gasping with his hand going back up to his mouth. He paused mid action to look at his glove, curious when he sat no blood there. He touched the back of his head and there was no blood, either. Looking up, nothing was on the wall, and there was no indication that he even hit it.

"What happened?" He asked instead, finally turning back to whoever woke him up. It was Shadow, Gadget kneeling right next to him. A few people were now in the hall, and he felt uncomfortable.

"I don't know," Shadow was courteous enough to lower his voice while Gadget moved to shoo everyone else away. "You hit and went through the doors and fell right away. You might have had a panic attack, or something similar. You didn't pass out."

"Panic attack...?" The jackal echoed, going to sit up, but quickly realizing that the wind and strength was sapped out of him. He settled for continuing to lie down. That was better.

"I don't know," Shadow repeated, looking over his shoulder for a second. Finn didn't know what he was looking at. "Do you want to rest a bit, refresh, and then train again, or go home?"

Home. It was a nice word. He never had a home. He had a hole, and then a shack, and then a base, but never a home. Could he call the place where Shadow let him stay a home? He needed to answer. "Give me some time, I'll be back up."

Shadow nodded and went to stand up and find somewhere for the other to lay, but when his chest fur was grabbed in a tight hold he was sure it was going to be ripped off, he yelped and cowered.

"I'm still training, you dunce. Never hit someone that hard!" It was deserved how hard he was hit, even though Shadow didn't actually use full strength, but he refused to except that. And knowing that Shadow's weak spot was his precious chest fur was a plus, too.

"Bastard." Shadow gripped his wrist until he let go and stood up, fighting himself to not kick the downed jackal in the stomach. Luckily Gadget came to the rescue and dragged Shadow away, leaving Finn in the hall alone.

He hated being alone.

xox

 _there was something i was gonna say but forgot_

 _two uploads in a day! woo!_

 _also, no oc will be in this story. Gadget and a previously mentioned character are the only "oc"s here._

 _there will be no real conflict. This is a sol story revolving around Infinite/Finn._

 _aight. heading to bed. Goodnight._


	13. chapter 13

When Shadow left, he flat out left. What he did was clean up the training room and then find a room for the jackal to rest in until he was ready to start fighting again.

Finn hated being helped by him, but Gadget was the only one around that helped him stand and lead him to a simple room full of partially destroyed furniture and spare supplies. It looked like a complete, soft, fluffy mess of cushions and pillows. They weren't the only ones there, but before Gadget could ask Rouge to leave, the door suddenly closed behind both of them. Finn whirled his head around to see Sonic glaring daggers into him.

"No offence, Gadget hun," Rouge started, gently pushing the wolf towards Sonic. He was too shocked to even realize Rouge touched him, turning back to Finn "But we kinda snooped a little bit and have a few words to say to little... ' _Finnigan_ ' right here."

Finn glared around. "I'm not in the mood for anything right now." he tried, but a particular shove by Sonic sent him laid on on a broken futon. He hurried to sit up and crawl back.

Sonic looked so angry. His fists were balled tightly by his side and he was absolutely shaking, quills flared as he stared down the Jackal.

"Don't think I don't know who you are, Infinite. Do you think I could really forget those six months? That easily? Think I could just _magically_ will them away?" Sonic grinned, but there was no happiness behind it.

Finn opened his mouth but his ponytail was gripped and yanked down, forcing a scream from him that was quickly cut short from Rouge covering his mouth. "And how you killed Shadow? How you stabbed him so many times? Oh, honey, we're Shadow's closest friends, you think we're left in the dark about everything?"

"Where's that ruby of yours, huh? You used it on me every single day, telling me how much my friends died. Replaying my defeat over and over. Showing me vividly how each on lost their lives. I could never move. I wonder if you like that, too?" Sonic didn't sound like his normal self-- Finn wasn't his normal self at the time!

That was when he was Infinite, he was told to do those things. He blindly followed each order the doctor gave without thinking much of it. All he had to do was send a few cubes his way and walk off. He never heard the screaming afterwards. He never saw the results. It would last for hours and all he ever did was go and terrorize people down on Earth with no single thought on what was happening to Sonic.

He struggled to pull Rouge's hand away, but he felt tired and panicked. Was that how Shadow felt when he was exhausted? When it finally came loose she started to struggle with him until the bat spun around and threw him against the cushions where he found out that there was still broken wood under some of them.

"I didn't-- I was doing as I was told, I didn't know! And Shadow forgave me for what I did, didn't he, Gad--?" He looked around for the wolf but he was gone, and Sonic and Rouge looked for a second as well before shrugging.

"Looks like you lost your only backup." Rouge smirked, approaching the jackal.

He had nothing. He had left his sword in the arena and was never good with close combat in the first place. He had a few things, but even then it was two against one. Even Gadget left him. Finn cowered.

He pulled back as far as possible on the cushions and splintering wood and raised his hand and tail and cover any part of him he could. He had half a brain to pick up something to use as a weapon, but Sonic's flaring quills told him against using the already rotting wood as a club.

So, out of options, he breathed in deeply and raised his head. His howl was loud, annoying, and no jackal was remotely close enough to understand what he said.

"Shut up!" Rouge shrieked and planted her hands over her ears, flapping her wings around while Sonic glare and ran up to make him shut up the hard way.

But all that happened was that he crashed into a heavy and was slammed to the ground.

At the odd sound of impact, Finn cut his call short and looked up only to see the back of Shadow standing braced with his arms out. He slowly lowered his tail to peek around him, spotting Gadget pumping his arms quietly in the corner. Oh. So he went to get help. He could had _said_ something at least instead of make him think he was gonna die at the hands of a hedgehog and a bat.

"Shadow, you're on _his_ side in this?" Rouge growled now, stomping up to him, but his sharp eyes make her back off.

"Yes and no. So, I attempted to destroy the earth and you all forgave me. Sure, that's nowhere near the level of torture you went through, Sonic, and I'm deeply sorry for that, as I have fifty years of it under my belt, but what the hell did you plan to accomplish here? Infinite is dead and gone. We all destroyed him, so much so that he attempted to kill himself when he didn't die from his wounds."

Did he really have to out his secret like that? It did have an effect on them, but he really didn't want them to know. And what was the 'fifty years' thing about? He didn't look a day after twenty.

"So, tell me, what were you going to do?"

By then, Sonic had gotten up and he and Rouge were now glaring at Shadow or the ground. "Just... beat him up a little bit, or something." Rouge sighed.

"And then what?"

Sonic stomped his foot "You can't tell me beating up someone that hurt you didn't feel nice! You did it all the time!"

"Did. Remember that mission, Rouge? Before everything happened? I gave Finn that scar over his eye and he went and turned into Infinite because I was upset he tried to stop me. I basically started a war because I didn't want to be troubled." Shadow had yet to lower his stance, and finally the group was getting uncomfortable. Even Gadget's ears folded down and he refused to look up.

"Well?"

"Shut up! I'm going home." The bat stormed off, past Sonic and Gadget, and flew out of the bunker.

Shadow finally lowered his arms but didn't move. Sonic looked at Shadow, tears pricking his eyes. "I thought you all died."

"I know now, and I'm sorry, but sorry can't change everything." Finn spoke, drawing attention back to him. Sonic glared at him, but his expression faded into more of a look of pure, lost sadness. "I just followed orders. I didn't know what I was doing to you."

Sonic stepped closer but didn't go to the jackal, going right up to Shadow instead. He suddenly hugged the other tightly and laid his chin on his shoulder, letting a few tears fall. Shadow awkwardly lifted his hand to pat his back, unsure what to do.

But the blue blur's eyes were open, glaring down at Finn with a dull expression. He couldn't help but flare out the fur on his tail and try to look smaller. Now was not the time to fight, and even if he tried, Sonic was still way stronger than him right now.

Shadow got enough of the hug and pushed him away softly, so the hedgehog sighed and turned to leave. "You're lucky Shadow's your friend. You shouldn't take that for granted." and left.

It was quiet for a while, and Shadow stepped away from the jackal and helped him to his feet. "So--"

"Thanks... both of you. For defending me, I mean." He couldn't make eye contact.

He was suddenly being hugged and wanted to push the other off, but the darn wolf was a lot stronger than he looked. "Hey! Don't touch me! Jackal fur is royal and precious and not to be touched by a lowly wolf!"

The wolf pulled away and signed quickly, smiling softly and swishing his tail behind him. He then left the two alone.

"...What did he say?"

Shadow was quiet for a bit, then crossed his arms. " _That's what friends are for_."

Oh. Ok. Finn folded down and ear and started to leave. "We should burn that room down."

"Cream, Big, and Vector take the old cotton and fabrics to remake furniture instead of buying new ones or starting from scratch. It's almost always full of odds and ends instead of people." Shadow shrugged "But don't think I'm against the idea of burning it down. It smells terrible in there and I'm sick of hauling in couches."

"You haul in couches?" The hallways were bustling with confusion and excitement, nearing time for lunch, but Finn was actually looking forward to Shadow's cooking. He was still traumatized but the endless sandwiches. "I thought you did something better."

"No, I do more than that, it's just that no one else was going to do it."

They quieted for a while as Finn picked up his sword and started heading for the door, momentarily confusing Shadow before he simply followed him.

"What did you mean by 'I have fifty years of it under my belt?'"

"You have a lot to learn about me."

xox

 _ayyy im gonna fricken_

 _Also, I was actually kinda surprised that no one commented on Gadget using sign language. Some fics have him talk, some have him bark, and some have him pantomime. Either way, onto my replies--_

 _ **Infinite Ruby:** Thanks, man! I just think that after the war, Gadget would be contently pissed about Infinite. Gentle blackmail would probably be a thing he'd hint at but probably not do. And the panic attacks were a play on how the ruby would mess with the user's mind as well after so much time being connected to a body, and actually wont happen very often._

 _ **AdmiralKirk:** Nope, lol. The story behind why I made it so Infinite/Finn wasn't easily recognized was because of what Shadow said about the Jackal squad earlier. He had told the resistance that he was going yo go out and trade supplies, and when he told about a group of injured jackals, they all, even Gadget, collectively helped them. After seeing jackals for a few days before they left, they figured he was just this random one and didn't really care and were quite annoyed to be helping them again. Sonic recognized him too because months of seeing him makes it easy to recognize. Also because his chest is scarred up and there's no good reason that should happen in such a specific place._

 _ **Abys** **susTheDarkNightmare:** Yep, sure has. Because of you I was so tempted to have Finn howl in fear, cause Gadget to howl, and then that make Sonic howl. I was so angry at myself while writing because I so wanted that to happen lol but I fought it_

 _ **Bajy:** Charmy seems like the guy that'll try to make friends with everyone. I love Charmy. Little Finn Finn is sooner or later gonna be strong enough to deal with a simple punch without having a panic attack, the wimp. huff. Thank you, though!_

alright, to the people that's followed and favourited this story: Thank you all so much! It really means a lot to me that you all like this story so much. First starting it, on the actually day the game came out, I assumed there would be tons of fics about Infinite and Gadget and lots about Infinite and Shadow. Surprisingly, going onto Ffnet and Ao3 (Which I will move to sooner or later), I saw plenty of Infinite/Gadget(Rookie) ships and fics, a few fics of Infinite and Sonic or (reader), but zero about Infinite and Shadow!

Posting this, I had zero confidence. I really thought this would be pushed to the side or barried because no one wanted anything like this. I thank everyone so much for leaving reviews or favs or even just checking this out even if it's not your cup of tea, this really means so much to me, and I thank you!

Enough of me talking, goodnight!

Transformation tomorrow.


	14. Chapter 14

It was late.

The Bunker was mostly quiet or empty, from those who stayed behind now asleep at their stations or heading out anyway.

All except Sonic, Finn, and Shadow.

Well, minus Shadow. He fell asleep a while ago and was simply in the room laying on top of a couple gym mats.

Sonic and Finn were silent besides simple grunts of effort and breathing, no quips or words exchanged between the two. Finn was back in the training room to spar with Shadow, as he originally planned, but when he brought up that he wanted to relearn how to fight with his sword, Sonic was brought along.

It was said that Sonic was the most skilled with a sword, but no one explained why nor where the large sword Sonic magically already had came from. But, that was fine. The two clashed and shared knicks from the other's blade, both refusing to back down and both refusing to call the match. So much so, that they were both bleeding yet denied it any chance they got.

Shadow attempted to stop the two long ago, but when neither listened, he laid down to catch up whatever sleep he could. He was down and out for the count, and neither really cared.

Finally, Finn swung his arm hard and there was a loud clang of Sonic's sword getting knocked down but not out his hand. Right after, his own was knocked down and clashed into the sand from Sonic smashing his sword's handle into his hand. With the last move, Finn huffed and stood from his battle stance, rubbing his cheek at the small cut that landed there from his own sword.

"Almost," He whispered, and Sonic nodded cortly.

"Yep. Maybe sharpen up, kid." He seemed uninterested as he rested the flat side of his sword on his shoulder. "Not to bad for being rusty, but I'm also rusty."

Finn resented being called a kid and being told to 'sharpen up,' but he was too busy nursing his wounds to really care. "Yeah." he knew Sonic didn't like him. That was fine.

"Yo, Shads. I'm gonna pick you up, right? And you're not gonna freak out on me. Sound like a deal?" Sonic speaking to Shadow suddenly was a bit startling, so he turned to see just what the other was up to.

The hedgehog had set down his sword and was now petting Shadow's shoulder, watching the other's expression carefully. He was tensed up with his eyes wide open and teeth showing in a warning, but he wasn't staring at anything nor growling. Eventually, his expression calmed, and Sonic was gentle in lifting him up and in his arms.

"Hey, get the door. Kinda handicapped here." He spoke over his shoulder, and Finn rushed over so Sonic wouldn't repeat himself.

Sonic hiked Shadow up further and the agent instinctivly curled up to protect himself. Sonic said nothing on it, and Finn stared on as the two began to leave for Shadow's house with Finn opening the doors.

"Why does he... Get nervous enough that you have to talk to him in his sleep?" He finally spoke, and Sonic glanced over to him. It was slightly cold out.

"He'd probably tell you if you asked, but, It's night terrors. He doesn't sleep calmly most of the time, but it's okay, he's used to them." He shrugged, then quickly stopped when Shadow shook a bit in his hold. "I rarely try to carry him because of it, but waking him up is more dangerous."

"Does he even know you carry him?"

"Uh, most of the time, no, unless he ends up in his bed, and then he figures it out." Sonic smirked, finally showing a bit of emotion.

They were quiet for a bit, and Finn looked away. "Do... you know what they are about?"

"Way too personal, bro. He hasn't told anyone, literally. I'm the only person he's allowed to carry him, you think he's shared anything that personal?" Sonic lowered his ears and they were once again silent.

Barely anyone was out, but those who were, were night owls or naturally nocturnal anyway. A few of them actually waved towards their direction, but Finn was sure none of them were waving at him. The moon was halved overhead, still giving off enough light to see their surroundings. Everything was casted in a faint blue light. He yawned largely and looked back at Shadow, with the most neutral expression in the world. He didn't even look calm or happy. Exactly how bad were his dreams?

When they got close to the house, Finn rushed ahead to open the door before Sonic said anything.

"How did you two ever become friends?"

"Is this twenty questions?" Sonic was a bit irritated, actually glaring at the jackal. When he promptly answered with 'yes.', Sonic chuckled. "Fine."

"He was difficult, and at one point, I hated him because I kept getting accused of doing super bad stuff when it was actually him doing it and everyone was apparently colourblind and stupid. I dunno. But, eventually, we kinda became rivals, and then friends, over the years. It took a while for Shadow to accept it." Shadow was laid down in his room, and, when he recognized his bed and the scent of his pillow and sheet, his body moved into autopilot and wrapped the cover over himself.

"How did Shads even find you? And why did he try to be _you_ _r_ friend?" Sonic retorted, leaving Finn stunned and a bit confused.

He... didn't know. "I'm adsuming that... that red wolf had something with him finding me, but I'm still wondering about that last part."

The blue blur raised his hands to stretch, then glared down at his scars and the small flecks of blood stuck to his fur. He left to go to the bathroom and grab a spare towel to clean himself, tossing another to Finn. "Hm. Gadget, yeah, maybe. But, I'm sure Shadow told you. Hey," he looked at him, and they attempted to hold eye contact, but the jackal was quick to look away.

"Look, I know we aren't friends. Frankly, I'm not ready to even attempt to try to be your friend, from what I had to endure, but I know for a fact Shadow has a reason why he wants to be friends. Shadow is always set in his tracks, and is damn passionate with everything he believes in." He sighed "For whatever reason he has, Shadow likes you. One day, I might get there, too, but Shadow's already there for you. He wants to be friends, so you better be the best damn friend you can. He has enough enemies."

With that, Sonic washed off his towel and hung it to dry before taking his leave. "See ya."

Finn watched him go and head down the stairs out of view, then washed off the rest of his scars and did the same as Sonic, instead going to his own room.

Shadow had enough enemies, huh? Sure he was a pretty stoic guy, and was super strong for no clear reason, but he didn't seem that mean when he sat down and thought about it. Then again, he'd have to ask Shadow, as he now had to with many other subjects.

He just needed to sleep on it.

When morning came, Shadow was awake a bit early and was busy making simple bellpepper, onion, and cheese omlettes for the both of them. The jackal came downstairs mid yawn and slurred a hello to him.

"Hello yourself, Finn." He sent back, now yawning from seeing the other as he set down his plate. Shadow wasn't wearing gloves again, which he disapproved on if he was going to be cooking. Fur in the food was terrible.

"Sorry about last night, I was getting so close to winning and I didn't want to let it go." Finn picked at his food, and Shadow stared at him.

After a bit of awkward silence of Shadow staring, he frowned and glared right back. " _What._ "

"Sorry, I just... never noticed how different you look now." He finished his statement by going back to eating and then telling about the things they would do today.

He tuned him out completely to figure out what he meant. Sure, he wasn't as skinny as he was before, his ribs no longer showed and his arms and legs were no longer twigs. His fur was a bit brighter, too, along with being well groomed now that he used the brush Shadow showed him. Even his scars had healed, leaving a white marking instead of the angry red and purple colours on his chest and probably his face.

He...He looked nice, now that he thought about it.

"Did you hear a word I said?" Shadow's omlette was gone. Finn blinked out of his trance and nodded, though he, for a fact, did not hear a single word Shadow said.

"I don't think it matters, really..." he trailed off, and Finn suddenly felt terrible for having ingored him. He settled for another topic.

"I... You said Sonic was the best as swords, but didn't tell me why...?" What was there to even talk about with Shadow? He clearly wasn't ready to talk about too much, and he didn't want to be rude. He didn't know if Shadow would like him, and it was hard to stay nice.

"I'm skilled as well, but I don't know why. Sonic explained a few times, but the explaination is too long and complicated to repeat." There was a pause.

Finn laid his head down. Both plates were now empty and he had yet to touch his cup of juice. He didn't remember the last time he even drank juice.

"Sounds stupid." He sighed, then hissed and went to correct himself, but Shadow was now snickering.

"It did. It had something about him being sucked into a book and turning into a king where I was one of his knights and Amy was some princess of the lake or something similar. It was idiotic."

Shadow didn't say anything against him. He didn't hate his rude comment. _Nice._

Well... He was trying. "Thanks for..." He started, but he spoke far too quietly for the other to hear. He glared down at his plate. He sounded stupid.

"Sonic called me earlier. He said that you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Exactly how early do you hedgehogs wake up?" He huffed, shaking his head as he collected the dishes to wash. Shadow silently approved.

Shadow only mumbled under his breath at first, then rolled his eyes and stayed silent. He wasn't going to beg the other to talk-- hell, he frankly didn't _want_ to talk right now. He wanted to go to the Bunker and make himself busy doing something, _anythin_ _g._

When Finn didn't say anything, Shadow got up and moved to leave. "Fine, if you have nothing to say, then I'll be at the Bunker."

 _Just as he was getting somewhere._ "Wait, damnit--!" Finn hissed, reaching out to grab Shadow's arm. What he didn't expect was Shadow changing directions last second, making him grab his hand instead. His thoughts went to momentary embarrassment as they were now awkwardly holding hands, but a shock spiked through him and coldness suddenly surrounded his body.

Shadow yanked his hand away at the odd yet familar feeling, just to stop short and look around with wide eyes.

"The..." he started.

They were aboard the ARK, just as it had been all those years ago. Scientists and guards flooded the halls, some walking quickly and others standing still to talk.

Nothing was wrong. It was cold, as it always was. The tile floors were freshly waxed, and the everlasting smell of rubbing alcohol and orange scented oils stained the air. A young girl in a blue dress was currently chatting with a very tall, very old man with a greying moustache.

Finn looked around in confusion, then turned to Shadow before stopping his questions short. The hedgehog was frozen in place.

"Are... you okay? Where are we?"

At his voice, Shadow snapped out of it. He shook his head violently and pinned the jackal to the nearest wall. "No no **_NO_**! It's not like this anymore! Put it back! put it all back _right now!_ "

"I-- I'm not doing anything!" Finn shouted right back but Shadow didn't let up, pulling him closer just to slam the back of his head to the wall over and over.

"Yes you are!! You are! You are, now fucking fix it right now or I'll tear your goddamn eyes out!"

Once the threat was made, and Finn's head was slammed again, much harder than last time that it caused him to yelp, the room flaked and faded away like it was never there, leaving the two standing in the kitchen with Finn growling and hissing in pain.

Shadow blinked in confusion, then quickly backed away from the other. His expression turned from shocked to utter anger.

"I thought you changed. I thought, with the ruby gone, you wouldn't be doing this anymore. I don't _need_ that. I don't want to _see_ that. It's gone, and so are you. Get the hell out of my house."

xox

 _i know this isn't supposed to be updated, but i need to start writing something_

 _also: the ruby is gone. the powers are not_


	15. chapter 15

Well, it was out there now. Shadow wanted him out.

Shadow stood his ground, staring the jackal down as he squared his shoulders and firmly planted himself. It was clear as day that he was going to fight him if given the chance. Finn, however, did the exact same. He balled his fists up at his sides and shook, with anger or fear he didn't know, fur bristling until he didn't look so threatening anymore.

"Not _again._ " He whispered, catching Shadow a bit off guard. Instead of asking, the hedgehog took a step closer to scare him away. "I'm not going to be kicked out _again_."

"Again, hm. Last time you ki--"

"Will you shut the hell up for _one minute_ and let me speak!?" Finn snarled, stomping forward so he was directly in Shadow's face. He didn't care how close they were, he just knew Shadow hated for his personal space to be invaded.

As expected, he was shoved away.

"This would be the _sixth_ time! My family, my village, my squad, Eggman, you, and then fucking _again--_ I didn't even know what the hell I did-- how can you even blame me!" raw, red energy circled his fists, burning hot, but he didn't notice nor care.

"Finn--"

"I said _shut the hell UP!_ " The energy suddenly grew and now created a tight coil in front of his chest. He still didn't notice.

By now, Shadow was going to attack. He stopped when the aura began, so now he simply stared, shutting his mouth to let the other speak. Finn didn't yell like this, ever.

"I-- I..." he huffed, oxygen seeming short all of the sudden and feeling dizzy, but he shook his head and pushed the feeling away. "I don't know, Shadow. I'm trying to adjust-- I _am,_ okay? I've never been right my entire life, don't expect me to be sunshine and rainbows on my first try. Yeah, I tried to kill you! I did! I get it! Stop fucking bringing it up! You don't want me to bring up whoever the hell that girl was, do you?"

"Leave Maria out of this." He snarled, and Finn sighed.

" _Exactly!_ You got upset! You think bringing up the fact that I tried to kill you makes me feel any better!? Or the fact that I killed half my squad!? Or the fact that I killed so many people makes me feel like I have the chance to be better as you fucking believed when you dragged me here!?"

"You had every chance to leave if you didn't want to stay." Shadow lost all will to fight. This was... wrong. Something was wrong.

" _Did I_ Did I, now? Last time I checked, I was sick with fever, heavily wounded, and couldn't walk to save my own life! I was even suicidal, for chaos sake!" He raise his arms and the room transformed, but not by much. It was just the kitchen, again, but the doors were gone and so was the furniture. A thin layer of water sat on the floor.

"I got used to it-- I kept thinking that I could change, that I had a friend. I fucked it all up when I killed you, but when you took me back, I thought we passed that! I have frequent nightmares about being Infinite again, about being bad and abandoned and my squad members and my previous family coming back to life and clawing me apart! I have nightmares that I'm drowning and voices keep telling me that I should die for what I did!" His breathing was a bit more frantic and he started pacing. Water sloshed around his knees and Shadow found that he was stuck in place, thick, gold chains wrapped around him from his shoulders down. He tried to remain calm.

The jackal was wearing the Infinite mask again.

"Finn, I understand now, I just--"

"Do you!?" The water rose to their hips woth a roar "You just kicked me out your damn house for an accident! I didn't even know what I did!"

"Yes, but--" The water felt like small nails and needles, hooking onto them and climbing up higher. "But you're doing it again. Calm down--"

"Calm down, he says. I can't calm down right now because I'm breathing too fast and it feels like I'm gonna die and I hate my life and I hate my family and had I not been born the world would be so much better--" Finally, the hyperventilation caught up to him and he had to stop talking, squeezing his eyes shut and covering his mask with his hands.

"I'm-- I'm sorry Finnigan, I am, truly, but please--" He couldn't say 'calm down' "Forgive me, and think clearly."

The jackal nodded, curling his hands to fists but keeping them pressed to his mask. The water began to drain. "It was an accident."

"I understand." It was a bit rude of him to kick him out, he was trying. By the looks of it, he had yet to even realize he still had his powers. The chains began to shrink and slump, giving him little freedom. "I'm sorry."

"I'm... sorry..." Finn moved his hands to grab at his hair, and the water slowed. His mask fell off into the water and sank, far deeper than the pool was. "You tried so hard, and I failed you..."

" _Not this again,_ " The hedgehog whispered, and luckily it went unheard. "Don't worry about that. I haven't kicked you out, I--... change my mind. I shouldn't have said that."

Again, the water drained, but this time went away completely. Shadow's chains shrunk down to nothing as they fell away, and the red glow around Finn's arms and chest faded. Once he had the chance, he raced over to the jackal and set his hand on his back.

"Are you alright?" It was a dumb question, as he didn't move from his curled position yet, but he still answered.

"...Yeah, I will be. I just... Need some time outside. Alone, probably." Finn sighed and stood up straight, taking a step forward before Shadow hauled him up on his shoulder and took him outside.

"No, I think it's time for a story."

"I'm sick of being carried." Finn attempted to struggle, ending up smacking Shadow across the head with his tail. When Shadow growled about a headache, he stopped.

As Shadow spoke about his childhood as he walked around aimlessly, Finn went through a wide array of emotions. First it was anger from being carried, then complete and utter disbelief, but when he realized a few things true, like why he healed so quickly, had super strength, could teleport, and make spears of energy from thin air, then he started to believe his strange story.

He learned about Maria and Gerald Robotnik, and how Shadow was an alien project. He learned that Shadow was basically in his sixties but really just twenty, and he learned how traumatic his past soon grew and how many blocks were in his memory from it. How Eggman kidnapped him when he had amnesia and taught him to hate Sonic, about all the times he was forced to destroy the earth just to gain his memory back and stop it, about all the times Eggman's betrayed him multiple times just to get what he wanted.

When Shadow finished, early morning had ended. The cool weather and warm sun began to turn more irritating until it was only sunny with zero clouds in the sky. They sat under the shade of a tree.

"That was... some story." Finn shrugged, staring at the ground. "I don't know what to say."

"Don't really say anything. If you hadn't started telling me your backstory, I wouldn't have thought you needed to hear mine."

"I did? When? I blacked out a bit in the kitchen when I started to panic, I kept imagining the room was filling up with water." Shadow watched as his tail curled around him for protection as he shuddered at the memory. It was... familiar.

"That... wasn't you blacking out. You created that illusion as you told me a few things. Not all of it, though." He turned away. The silence was awkward.

"...I did?" Finn repeated "I thought I didn't have powers anymore." he ignored the other statement about his past. It wasn't as bad as Shadow's...

"You must, because I saw the water too. I was also chained up, but I won't blame you for that. I was being horrible to you so you probably did that to protect yourself."

"Yeah, you were."

He didn't exactly expect him to flat out agree that he was being horrible, but, it suited him to be a bit rude.

"Why don't we say we're even, then?" Shadow suggested, just to frown when Finn didn't say anything. "Or not. It doesn't matter."

When he still didn't respond, Shadow started to grow worried until Finn sighed and shrugged. "I know, for a fact, that after I responded to that you would suggest I try to use it in combat. So, before you say that, No."

Shadow looked away and frowned. "At least try it."

"I'm pretty sure you were very uncomfortable for a while after accidentally discovering Chaos Blast, so don't tell me what to do right now." He shot back, and right away Shadow wilted.

He was starting to regretting telling him most of his past, but there was no going back now. Though, he was proud that Finn was standing up for himself! Beforehand, he would simply cower or just go along with whatever was told and said and didn't attempt to fight back. This time, he didn't actually know he was fighting back until after it happened, but still, he did.

But now came the fact that he didn't know how to control his powers without the restraints of the ruby, and that was sure to lead to some terrible disasters.

xox

 _Heyy!! I'm back in buisness!!! I'm finally back up and running, expect updates on a regular baisis!!_

 _Transformation comes late tonight/tomorrow!! I'm so happy, guys. Also, Hivemind late tomorrow night or the day after!_

 _Here's an update on me and my writing:_

I've been spending holidays with my family, as my oldest brother came home for Christmas and New Years. I was very distracted, so I couldn't even write at all.

I had a wonderful time as well! I even got a pet gecko named Escapee. Christmass was never a positive timd growing up, so I found myself really down, too down to do much of anything, and often slept. I did, however, start writing the newest Transformation chapter. It's currently half finished.

 _I'm in a bit of a pickle health wise, but I promise, I will get right back into writing once again_

 _Finn's finally stuck up for himself!!!_


	16. chapter 16

Shadow sat up in bed similar to a zombie rising from his grave, scanning th room for his bedside clock as, at some point during the night, it was flung across the room and now sadly laid on its side near the door. Knowing he'd have to get up to read it, Shadow groaned loudly and slid himself out of bed, falling to the ground with the grace of a jellyfish on land before wobbling back to his feet and going over to the window first.

Shadow opened the curtains and lifted the window just halfway, feeling the cool breeze start to wake him up as he was slowly adjusting to the painful, natural blinding light known as the sun. By the time he even got to his clock, he realized breakfast should have been started by now and hurried to grab his gloves and socks before taking a quick shower.

When he left the bathroom, he opened Finn's door and peeked inside. The jackal was laid on his side, facing the door, snoring lightly. His hair was everywhere across his face from the way he was splayed out, and his right ear was flicking every ten seconds to get the strands away.

"Finn, wake up," Shadow called once, leaving the door open and going downstairs to start on the breakfast that should have been done by now.

True to his word, when he and Finn got back to his house, Shadow didn't take Finn go practice on his powers at all. The jackal attempted them himself in his room, alone, so Shadow didn't know how well he did or not, but he knew he was upstairs for upwards of three hours. During that time Shadow left for the Bunker to waste time until the jackal came back, but he ended up going through a few drills and helping out more people than he thought. There was a money scandal, then someone else stole property and refused to return it, then there was a large fight between a guard and a inner circle member that spiraled out of control, and it all sucked.

It didn't help that Shadow was mostly the middle man where his job consisted of "stand there until you're told what to do" or "fight literally everyone", so he never knew when to be prepared.

The agent huffed in effort as he stretched out his back, remembering all the blows he took to protect someone else, and at that point he didn't remember who it was. He was probably bruised all over.

When Finn's breakfast was done and Shadow absolutely inhaled his own, he set the other's food in the microwave oven with a stickynote on the door reading that his breakfast was there and he was going, once again, down to the Bunker, and expected Finn there when he woke up.

Shadow spun on his heel and left, taking much longer than planned when he ended up taking an unwanted detour.

Finn woke up with a start, flinching at something in his face before sitting up and realizing it was just his own hair. He flipped it back, wondering again if he should cut it or ask Shadow to cut it shorter, but ultimately dismissed the thought for a nice hot shower.

Of course, he used Shadow's new shampoo. Luckily it was perfect for all fur types and quills, as he clearly didn't read the label and scrubbed himself with it. Finn scratched his hands together, looking down at the large black scorch in the middle of one of them. It started to fade away, and, after fully sudsing himself up, he stepped under the water and let the soap wash away.

His powers were utterly useless. Not once could he make _anything_. No illusions, no spikes or attacks of any kind, not even any cubes of energy, nothing. The best he created were small sparks from his palms that burned him the second they were created. Not once did _anything_ spectacular happen. The sparks weren't even that impressive to look at, either. He tried to recall how he used the ruby, but whenever he thought about it, his mind simply went blank. Finn had no clue if it had anything to do with the ruby at all for forcing him to forget, or if was so traumatic that his brain simply blocked off the memory.

All he did know was that it didn't take much to any time for the ruby to start working, he just had to imagine what he wanted and there it was. He had to give the others their worst nightmare with a flick of his little finger and _there it was_. Finn didn't _need_ to put in any effort, where did _that_ part go? Did the phantom ruby take it?

The jackal was exhausted beyond belief when he finally called it a night at nearly 2 am.

Remembering that he was showering and not knowing if Shadow had to pay for water or not, Finn cut the shower a bit short and left, haphazardly drying off his fur with a towel as he went back into his room for gloves and socks. He eyed the new shoes Shadow bought him. He didn't know when, but he got a couple new pairs. He took the simple black and white ones with straps around the ankles and hurried downstairs, expecting Shadow to be waiting with a plate of now cold breakfast and glaring at him to eat it.

He was surprised, however, when Shadow wasn't home and instead left two stickynotes in his wake. Finn frowned down at the first as he re-heated his breakfast, and when it was finished, finally read the other that expected him to be at the Bunker. Of course, other than the main recreation room, the training grounds, and that one weird place with all the moldy furniture, he had yet to explore the area. It was probably huge.

Then, as Finn started the leave, pulling his hair into a ponytail once again, he realized that Shadow wouldn't be at his side. His ears folded back as he contemplated simply going back to bed and pretending he didn't wake up the entire day.

"Would the stupid guards even let me through?" he asked himself, rolling his eyes when he didn't get an answer before remembering that he was talking to himself.

Finn took quick steps to the bunker, ignoring almost everyone along the way. There were people that crossed in front of him that he had to wait for, and he was once caught up in a crowd that was going towards the market. His eyes trailed up to the large, lit sign, but he quickly shook his head clear and carried on. He had no money and Shadow was _not_ about to buy anything for him.

One thing was for certain, he knew for a fact that someone was watching him, or following him, or something. He felt eyes on his back constantly. It was unnerving.

At the bunker he was met with the familiar sight of people he didn't know right away blocking the entrance. Finn stood tall and approached them, recognizing them as a pink bird and green cat.

"State your name and business." The cat barked, and Finn smirked.

"Finn, I'm here to train."

The guards share a look that held no meaning, then turned back to the jackal. The bird held out her wing. "Registration card, please."

Finn's tail flicked in irritation and he stared. "I was never given one."

"You're given one as soon as you're registered as a resistance member! That means you're trying to sneak in!" The bird suddenly grew louder and retracted her wing, hand moving down to the wispon on her hip. It was the flamethrower, his most hated one.

"...I started a few days ago. Let me pass, I'll show you--" he reached forward to knock on the door like he saw the previous guards do, but the girls overreacted by flinching heavily and crying out that he was going to hit them.

"One would think they would be more kind to Shadow's friend." Came a rough, quiet voice, and the girls paled right away and stepped aside.

"We're sorry, Espio, sir." They spoke together. Finn glanced over his shoulder at the chameleon, blinking in smothered surprise when he saw that they were the same height and Espio was most likely thinner than him.

"That's not all. Registration cards? I can't wait until Knuckles hears about this." he continued, stepping forward while the girls floundered. He grabbed Finn's wrist and gently tugged him past the doors and to the second doorway.

It took him about a minute to realize why there were two doors. The room they were in was an elevator. They didn't go down.

"Sorry about them, they're new and think they can get away with lies." Espio huffed, looking around the recreation room. Nothing much changed. It was cleaner, now, Finn supposed.

The jackal scratched the back of his neck. "...Thanks." Was all he could really think of. He had no clue where to go, and didn't know if asking this chameleon he just met where Shadow was.

It didn't really matter when he opened his mouth and was cut off by him asking about Charmy.

"What?"

"I asked, 'do you consider Charmy your friend?'" Espio repeated, turning around to show he was now holding very sharp weapons that he was clearly not holding before. Finn looked back and forth for an exit.

"Y-yes?" He was sweating and Espio narrowed his eyes. They only met _once_ , and Charmy called him Mr. Ponytail after he clearly introduced himself. Other than that, he hadn't really seen him since. "Why not?"

"Good." The kunais disappeared with a flick of his wrist and Finn made a mental note to not ever mess with him. "Have you seen Shadow? He was supposed to show me his knife collection today and I have yet to see him."

"I...Actually wanted--"

Once again, fate was not on his side when he heard a screech before his face was replaced with a bee. Finn only gently patted the bee's back.

"Hello, Charmy."

"Finn! Hi!! I haven't seen you in a while. You look different, are you wearing contacts?" Charmy pried himself off the jackal's face just to sit on Espio's head, who clearly looked bothered but didn't even attempt to get him off.

"...No? I'm just a bit heavier, I gained weight. My eyes are naturally like this." he turned his head slowly to show "Yellow and blue."

"Never noticed." Espio spoke yet again. Finn felt like he was getting off track.

"I'm actually here to look for Sh--" This time he wasn't even interrupted, he was m9re or less assaulted by a large cookie smacking him in the face similar to what Charmy did minutes before "...Where's Shadow...?"

"Oh, I last saw him with Vector! He was holding a black box, looking for you, Espi!" Charmy waved for the chameleon to leave, going to instead sit on Finn's head had he not swatted him away.

Charmy just frowned. "Hey, I even made you a cookie and you haven't eaten it? How rude!"

Finn, with nothing left to lose, unwrapped the massive cookie and took a bite. It tasted like marshmallow and molasses. It was just so sweet that he wanted to vomit and was sure he gained twenty cavities from that one bite. " _Thank you_ ," it came out as more of a hiss, struggling to swallow the sugary bomb and feeling disgusted at the weird burn of acid reflux kicking in. "I'll go find Shadow now, Charmy."

"See ya later, Ponytail!" He sped away before Finn could respond.

The jackal went to the nearest water fountain and drowned his mouth and teeth in something actually healthy, thankful for the gift but hating every single part of it. That, and he needed to find either Espio again or Vector, and last he talked to Vector was when he was trapped in a cage and laying in his own filth and someone else's blood. Good times.

Finding someone turned much more difficult when what you remember was one specific thing. If you're told to find someone tall, green, and loud, you'll find literally every single green person in the world before finding who you need. Finn waved at probably three different people that didn't even resemble Vector other than the green or tall trait. He found a cat that was _blue_ yet he still waved to her because of his poor vision figured she was actually green. When Vector was found, however, he was alone and rocking out to loud music in the corner.

Finn walked up to the crocodile, keeping a distance as he was dancing amd thrashing and playing an air guitar with such passion he was sure one would magically poof into his hands.

"Vector!" He called, loud because he could actually hear the other's music. Vector only continued to headbang, eyes closed as he grinned ear to ear and mouthed the words to whatever song that was.

Finn looked around, expecting at least one person to find this odd, but apparently this was an everyday thing. So, he tapped his shoulder. Vector didn't feel a thing.

On his last strand of sanity, Finn looked directly at Vector, turning his chin up a bit and glaring. He knew one sound that was louder than the rest. He took a deep breath in and barked, sounding more like scream than anything else.

The room went dead silent and Vector shuddered and froze, ripping off his headphones and looking around in a panic. When he saw Finn, but now walking away, He huffed and sat down. Maybe he should invest in quieter headphones...

From his bark, he alerted everyone in the upper level of the bunker. Everyone also included Shadow, who came rushing to the aid as soon as the sound happened, so Vector was left to stew in silence while Finn left.

"What was that all about?"

"I tried to get his attention politely and it didn't work. The Chaotix are odd." Finn snapped, but Shadow only laughed at him.

"I see Charmy made you a cookie. That means he likes you. It's made of his famous honey and about fifty pounds of marshmallows, and he _does_ expect you to eat it all. Trust me, almost everyone has eaten that damn cookie." Shadow pat the jackal on the back and he looked at the cookie of death. He didn't really like sweets.

"Where's that box? Charmy said you had a box." They were going to a different set of doors. Finn tried to remember them.

"That? It was my knife collection, I was giving it to Espio as a gift for helping me out last month." The topic was dropped and Finn looked at Shadow. He was nice? He didn't expect Shadow to be the one giving gifts. But, based on what the bee said when they first met, Espio loved sharp things.

"Where are we?"

"Outside, more or less. It's for flight practice, really, but today we're just going to practice--" Shadow leaned over and pressed one of of many buttons and levers on the wall, making cardboard cutouts pop up behind buildings, rocks, and trees. "Precision."

xox

 _ok_

 _i gotta say i love the support guys really, my head is freaken swollen with how many views this is pulling in. I'm soo happy!_

 _;) I messed up something in the previous chapter that effects this very slightly, but since it's so slight I once fix it. also, an oc of mine was put in! guess who it was_

 _i was gonna day something else, but pretty much forgot_

 _shout out to my loyals who've been there since day one, you're my favourites_

if you saw this a second ago, it was taken down for spelling errors and fixed


	17. chapter 17

Once he was given his sword, courtesy of Shadow for having picked it up earlier, Finn quickly got ready by raising his blade. His normal fighting stance was lost in his mind somewhere, so he had to find another one that suit his tastes. When a relatively annoying buzz sounded in his ear, the jackal raced forward.

Shadow paid him no attention whatsoever as he struggled to figure out what he was doing. After not training in this field since the day it was built and Tails just wanted to see how reliable the system was, he had no clue how to even work the table of buttons nor the levers on the walls. He pretended well, though, and even found a board that allowed him to put in Finn's name. The moving part was easy, and the part where the cut outs could dip and pop back up was a work in progress as slamming his hands on the buttons seemed to work just fine. Though, he was... a bit confused to see the score increase just to _drastically_ decrease seconds later, but it wasn't until he looked up that he realized why.

The buzzer announced that all the cut outs were destroyed; including the ones that weren't supposed to be. The one that was once Gadget was missing a large portion of his head but still standing, and Sonic was sliced cleanly in half. Even poor Knuckles was turned into red woodchips. Every single cut out was decimated besides Shadow's, standing tall and stiff with the most pissed off expression possible, as Finn probably felt bad.

It didn't stop the jackal from standing smugly, the tip of his sword balanced on his shoe and his other hand resting on his hip.

"You...um," Shadow looked at the score, actually glad that the other couldn't see it from over there. How could you get _negative_ points? "Lets just try that again, except maybe _not_ kill the people on our side."

"How do you know!" Finn pointed his blade at him as the remains were swept away, making him hurry from the area so it could be reset. "You can't trust anybody. No one's been kind to me yet."

"Yet you didn't destroy my cut out." Shadow spoke, then, quickly "It's reset now. Try going for the people that look threatening, that you don't recognize, and have weapons."

So, as the buzzer screamed into his ear again, Finn raced out. "Not everything has to be attacked!" Shadow called out, right before, once again, Gadget was cut down the middle. Finn only called back that he had a weapon.

Though that was true, he just _knew_ the other was messing with him.

This time, with more knowledge under his belt, Shadow slowly learned how to work the machine before him. The score was, luckily, in the positive still. The bad part was that it wasn't going up or down, now. Shadow looked up just to breathe in sharply through his teeth.

Finn was staring, upwards, at his own wooden cut out. It wasn't entirely him, it was Infinite. Infinite stared back behind his silent mask and lone, yellow eye showing. His hands were raised and cubes of energy floated in still space around his head.

Shadow abandoned his post to go up to Finn. He hadn't moved, only lifting his free hand to touch his scarred eye. His right hand slowly rose, holding his blade even to Infinite's mask. Shadow stopped in his tracks, and there was a booming explosion that deafened both of them.

Infinite was _gone_. There was no signs of him having ever existed other than the black ash that rained down from where he once stood. Finn lowered his arm, letting Shadow see the blazing hot, red fury of energy circling his blade. Then, in a second, it disappeared.

"I don't want to do this anymore," The jackal slowly turned, offering Shadow his sword. His voice was dull and empty. "Can we do something else?"

After a very hasty retreat and a quick explanation of 'I accidentally used Chaos Blast' to whoever tried to question them in the now packed hallways, Shadow was almost done leading Finn somewhere else.

The jackal himself was too distracted to think straight, staring down at Shadow's hand gripping his wrist and tugging him along. Why did Shadow lie for him? He could have easily told that Finn was the one who caused the explosion, yet he didn't, and now he was almost dragging him away from the scene of the crime.

It reminded him of when Shadow first took him in. He didn't hurt him, he just helped. And when Finn was too injured to walk properly, he didn't make fun, he just helped. And when Finn got 'arrested', Shadow was upset, but soon after helped him again. _And_ , when he had a panic attack and was jumped by Rouge and Sonic, Shadow once again came to help him. He never once told anyone about him being Infinite. He was never a bad friend. This entire time, Shadow was being his friend.

Finn turned his hand and Shadow blinked down to their now linked hands, but said nothing about it. Finn sped up to be right at his shoulder, and they opened swinging doors just to be inside a large kitchen. Their hands broke apart right after as the jackal took in his surroundings.

Everything was silver, shiny metal, and everything was sparkly clean. Except the burners, they were scorched black from years of cooking.

Amy, Vanilla, Big, and Silver were the only ones there. Upon their arrival, the four turned to see who was there.

"Shadow! And your friend, what's your name again?" Amy cheered and danced over, giving Shadow a handshake which he was eternally grateful for. He was not in the move for a hug. When she turned to Finn, he breathed deeply and cracked a small smile.

"My name is Finn." It was forced, but Amy felt the effort and nervously chuckled as she shook his hand.

"Well, nice to meet you again, Finn. Glad to see you and Shadow on good terms again."

Amy turned away at a quiet beep and raced towards the oven, leaving the two alone for the time being as the others were busy doing their own thing. They did pause to wave a hello, however.

"Why are we in here? You know I can't cook." Finn's fake smile finally dropped and Shadow turned to him, pulling off his gloves.

"Exactly. Get those clear gloves and I'll show you some basics."

Five poorly peeled potatoes and a mangled, sad carrot later, Finn groaned and slammed the vegetable under his palm against the counter. It barely reacted to his outburst and he plopped back onto his stool.

Shadow was doing it so easy! He held a freshly washed potato and a small knife in one hand, turning it around and peeling it in one long spiral. Every attempt he made sured the poor spuds into small nuggets and he was so close to cutting himself.

"That's alright, Finn." Shadow chuckled. "The knife doesn't work for you, then. Just use the peeler. I'm more comfortable this way, you don't have to do it like I do." He gave Finn one last potato, but this time handed him a red vegetable peeler along with it. He briefly showed him how to use it.

"But..." He didn't have much to say and slowly dragged the peeler down the edge of the spud, watching a thin slice of the skin come off and fall onto the counter. He would deny it later, but his tail swished behind him quickly at seeing the pale flesh of the root.

Once he was done, and Shadow salvaged the rest of potato and carrot he could from his pile, he laid the veggies out and sighed. "Keep in mind-- I hate cooking. I go fast because I hate it, and I've been cooking for most of my life. Do _not_ go fast."

Right after, his hand nearly became a blur as the carrot was soon sliced and then diced. A pleasing chopping sound coming from the wooden cutting board made the jackal transfixed, watching the carrot and potato turn into medium cubes within seconds and then get slid over into a pile. Finn stood, knowing the act would take all his focus, and started to cut.

He went much, _much_ slower than Shadow, but the other didn't say anything. He finished his carrot and was down to his third potato before he hissed and snatched his hand away from the board, the knife clattering down onto the wood.

"Finn," Shadow whispered, carefully pulling the other's hand away from his chest before another took hold of Finn's arm.

He stepped aside and let Vanilla peel off Finn's glove, holding out his pointer finger and carefully pulling him over to the sink. Finn only stared silently at the large rabbit, a light blush on his muzzle as she washed away the blood, dried it with a nearby paper towel stand, and let go for him to hold up as she unwrapped a bandage.

"Cream used to knick herself all the time when she started learning how to cook," Vanilla giggled, placing a bandage around Finn's finger. She unwrapped another. "Since then, I've carried a pack of bandages with me. It comes in handy! Here's a tip, try not to hold the knife so tightly, it gives you a bit more control if you're relaxed."

When the second bandaged was placed, she gave him a new glove and kissed the injured finger before shooing him back to Shadow. Finn stared down at the bandage, blush slightly darker. They had little bears on them. He showed it to Shadow.

"Aww," Shadow held up his finger. "Cute. Looks like you found yourself another friend." He poked his nose before going right back to what he was doing, pouring what was already cut into a large bowl. Apparently, while the jackal was gone, he also shelled some peas into the bowl as well.

"...Who is Cream?" He took up cutting the rest of his pile, taking Vanilla's advice in relaxing his grip. It helped a ton.

"Vanilla's daughter. I think she's thirteen about now."

Shadow was working with a pot of hot water now, and showed him what broth was and how it was used. He poured it in the pot himself and smiled down at the bubbling light brown water. Chunks of something was added in, along with Shadow giving him salt and pepper shakers and warning him not to play the maracas with them. After he deemed it enough, they finally added the veggies and Shadow poured in pasta while Finn stirred.

He had no clue what it was, but it smelled absolutely wonderful and familiar. Something similar to home, somehow, but he knew for a fact he never had anything that ever smelled that good at his... 'home' before.

"Alright, you can stop stirring now." The heat was turned off and Finn huffed in effort, pulling the spoon free just for Shadow to put it back into the pot.

"What?"

"We can't possibly make something without eating it, right?"

Shadow sent him off to get two bowls and two spoons which were on the left of the kitchen. He hurried over, looked up, and scowled when he realized it was _just_ out of his reach. Darn his shortness! Had he been about three inches taller...!

Silver glanced over his shoulder after placing cellophane wrap over two plates of something, reaching up deftly with one hand glowing a light blue. "I'll get it." He sighed, and the cabinet opened.

"No, it's fine." And Finn leaned back, planting his tail to the ground and lifting himself an extra foot higher. He only had enough strength to grab the items before having to stand back on his feet once again, leaving the cabinet door open. "Can you close that?" He walked away, ignoring Silver's look of absolute puzzlement.

Shadow didn't say anything about Finn's little show over there, but did pour both of them a bowl and gave one to him. They both took off their gloves and went to chow down.

When the jackal took one taste, he stared at Shadow silently with wide eyes. It was chicken noodle soup. The very first thing Shadow ever gave him, when he first woke up at his house.

"Heh, I guess you figured it out." He lead him to a table outside where they could eat, though not alone. There were so many people everywhere. "I deemed it appropriate. It calmed you down the last time."

Shadow would have continue had he not heard sniffles coming from his right, but when he went to turn and question it, Finn's face was buried in his shoulder and his fur began to dampen with tears.

"You really _are_ my friend." He sobbed, and Shadow folded back his ears. Quite awkwardly, he pat the other on his back.

"I am, I thought you knew that?"

Finn remained quiet, sniffling lightly and gripping Shadow's fur for dear life. He felt an odd sensation on his finger and looked down to it, seeing the bear bandaids laced around his finger. He thought back to the cookie he saved half of, wrapped and securely saved within Shadow's quills, though he was sure he'd never finish it. He thought back to Sonic and even now Amy. He had _friends_ now. He was actually _loved_.

"Thank you." The jackal whispered, and Shadow scratched between his ears.

"No problem," Finn finally sat up "Finish your soup, it's going to get cold."

xox

 _this was going to be a bit longer but some things happened, or well!_

 _I am actually not online today. I'm simply posting this as the next Hive Mind chapter will be typed tomorrow. I have no strength today._

 _for yesterday's guess that oc-- I did put two of my friends ocs in there, the bird and the cat at the start. My oc was the cat mentioned much later on as being thought of as green but actually being blue_

 _Mask Off is currently my TOP viewed, most popular story **ever**. I'm so happy!!_


	18. chapter 18

Tails sighed to himself as he looked around the mess, wondering exactly went down that he was called so frantically to make sure one of the training rooms was okay. The first thing he checked was the control panel, as that would the hardest to repair. As none of the levers on the wall behind it were messed up, he figured and hoped the table would be the same.

Well, other than some buttons having clearly been mashed in by someone either frustrated or having not worked the machine before, all was fine. The fox went to leave that be had he not seen a flashing number next to him, then remembered the scorring system he put in. Tails opened the log and paused, staring down at the name 'Finn', written twice. The first score was absolutely pitiful with -200, making him frown. Unless you were breaking everything in your path, it should never be that bad. The second score was good, at a solid 45, but... it wasn't finished.

"That's where Shadow's supposed Chaos Blast came in..." He said to himself, ignoring the name Finn for now to go to the field. Gadget was destroyed, for some reason, but the normal bad guys were brokem too. Then, he came to the 'blast zone' and stared down at the small wooden peg that survived the blow. "But that doesn't make sense. He's only done that when he's overwhelmed, and... Hasn't done that in years now."

Tails kneeled down and rubbed his finger on the still-warm ashes, ears laying down flat in confusion as the name Finn came to his mind again. Finn was the person Shadow brought in a while ago, right? Even to Tails, he was weak and a bit cowardly. He did complain a lot, didn't attempt to make friends, and talked back way too often to fit in, but Shadow and him got along fine.

But, no way could he piss off Shadow so much that he got that overwhelmed, right? Plus, this was one consentrated area. Whenever a chaos blast did happen, it would destroy everything around him depending on how badly he felt. That, and afterwards, he would pass out right away from the emotional turmoil. He wouldn't be able to run out like what was described to him.

There was _no_ way he would use it just for one cut out.

Maybe that was it? Finn was obviously the one training, and Shadow was the one on the table; Shadow barely knew anything about the stuff he invented, and often never asked unless it mattered. But maybe the cut outs had something to do with it? Which one was here?

Shadow looked over to the sleeping jackal beside him, a small, rare smile on both of their faces. Shadow was smiling because he fell asleep with his face planted on the table with no sense of the dignity the Jackal Clan held over themselves, and Finn was smiling probably because of the soup.

Shadow folded back his ears, feeling a bad sensation in his gut. He'd normally ignore it, but he better not do so now.

"Hey, Finnigan." He shook his shoulder once, and the jackal groaned and turned his head away, laying his hands over his head. "Ignoring me won't make me leave you alone."

Too bad that seemed to be exactly what Finn planned on doing today. Shadow sighed and shook again, just to be hit with that weirdly strong tail of his. Just as he stood, about to haul the stubborn jackal off so they could continue on with their day, the doors to the lunch room opened and Tails made a beeline for them.

In any other normal situation, Shadow would wave at the kit, and he would wave back, exchange a passing greeting, and leave. But now, Tails looked angry and perplexed. Usually whenever that expression happened, he wanted answers, and Tails was never one to not get answers when he wanted them.

There were two options-- Chaos control out of there with Finn in tow, or stay and try to lie himself out of the situation.

He wasn't one to run from a problem, so he sighed and braced himself to lie.

"Shadow," Tails nodded, the passed right by him to roughly shake the jackal awake.

Finn sat up and snarled, but he quickly cut it short when Tails didn't flinch. The kitsune had been around Shadow for _years_ now, so a simple wake up growl was nothing to him.

"What the hell do you want?" Finn stood and crossed his arms, naturally leaning over to stand near Shadow. He didn't like how aggressive Tails was standing and he hated how public this was.

"I want answers, ' _Finn_ '."

They were nearly dragged off to an office of sorts, one Shadow had been in a few times, but Finn never. The jackal glared at his surroundings, quickly looking things over for exits should things go bad. Shadow was sitting next to him, so that was one thing he could rely on. Another was that there was a large window, but other than the door that came through, there were no more exits. Tails sat across them in front of a round table, and Sonic sat with him, too. He wasn't entirely sure what this meeting was about.

"Shadow, why--"

"Fox, I like you, but don't you _dare_ ask me what I was thinking when I last used chaos blast." Shadow cut off, crossing his arms and glaring. His eyes glinted in the bright lights, and Tails actually backed down. He was serious.

"A-alright, I won't. Um, how about this-- _when_ was the last time you used chaos blast?" his tails twitched and Sonic glanced at Finn.

He knew he was Infinite at some point, but he was clearly not anymore. If this had to deal with the explosion from earlier, he was lost.

"...Today." Shadow answered. He seemed stressed and resigned. Finn dropped his hands to his lap, feeling the fur on his tail stand on end. He was going to stick with this story, huh?

"Then how come you didn't pass out? And how come Finn's name was written on the scoreboard instead of yours, if you were fighting?" The fox leaned forward, ears pricking forward and starting to grin. Sonic slowly caught on, but said nothing.

"...It... depends, alright? It involves stress and I don't feel comfortable explaining."

"But you don't really have a choice." Tails shot right back, and Finn shuddered at how tense Shadow grew all of the sudden.

His quills were a bit bristled and his glare sharpened. Shadow was _not_ one to back down from a chalange. "Is that so? Because I believe I don't have to tell you shit about my personal life."

Tails visibly grew scared at Shadow's suppressed threat, but didn't back down either. "Well, if it's my machines on the line, you do. Why was Finn's name down if you were fighting? Why did you attack the Infinite cut out? Why--?"

"Can you shut the hell up? Obviously he's still upset, why are you pinning so many damn questions on him?" Finn snarled, staring down into his lap. He was starting to feel as terrible as he did earlier, he just wanted all of this to end.

"Don't you dare talk to Tails that way." Sonic finally spoke up, but before he could continue, Finn interrupted again.

"No, you tell _Tails_ not to talk to _Shadow_ that way. All this time, he's been defending me," He looked up, snarling. Shadow was looking at him now, but he refused to look back. "I think it defend him. I did it, okay? I didn't know I had powers and accidentally activated it and Shadow lead me away because I was scared, alright?"

Shadow wanted to laugh so badly, but he held it back. Yeah, he was telling the truth, but remembering the perfectly confident way Finn aimed his sword to Infinite's mask, he was not at _all_ scared and knew exactly what he was doing.

"...You did? What's your power?" Tails sat down now, back to his normal curious self. Sonic narrowed his eyes, folding back his ears. The word powers reminded him that he used to be Infinite, and the powers he had were used on him, everyday, for six months straight.

"I don't know. It just happened."

"I think I'd like to see this power, Finn." Sonic grinned, looking directly at Shadow. Shadow simply frowned.

Deep down, he was actually afraid, but he wasn't going to show that.

But Finn sighed, because deep down he was bubbling with glee but he wasn't going to show that.

He raised his hands above the table and took off his gloves, letting Shadow see that he still had the band-aid on underneath. The jackal closed his eyes, focus, and ultimately, sparks formed and burned his palms. He hissed and yanked them back to his chest just as Sonic sat back in surprise and confusion.

"See? It just happened, I can't start it manually." He mumbled afterwards that he'd probably have bald palms by the time this meeting would be over, letting Shadow take one of his hands. It was weird but he didn't say anything about it.

"Oh. Sorry, then..." Tails and Sonic held the same opinion for once.

"Can we leave now? I hate meetings." Shadow had moved on to his other hand but let go by now, standing and making his way to the door even though the others didn't say it was over. But, Tails, knowing how Shadow got whenever he didn't get to leave someplace, shrugged and let the meeting/interrogation end.

The jackal hurried after Shadow and growled once the door shut behind them. "How can you stand them being your friends?" his hands were healed, as if they were never burned in the first place. Even the scar under the band-aid was healed, but he didn't want to take it off just yet. Shadow really was an alien, and that fact wasn't quite settled yet.

"I'm not sure myself, sometimes. But, it's late, and unless you feel like watching me practice, we should head home."

"...can we head home?" They passed by the Chaotix, joined together and eating something that smelled familiar. It took him a second to realize that it was the soup he and Shadow made. Finn felt a bit happy that they all were enjoying it so much. Charmy made sure to wave, and Espio looked over to wave as well, smiling gently. Vector blushed with embarrassment and huffed as they passed.

"Sure, Finn. No problem."

He felt like he wanted to try something different tomorrow. Maybe something Shadow was good at.

xox

 _i fuckin love this story, okay? i do. i love this so much._

 _also **Katie Merriman1,** your review was so sweet! The father and son idea is so cute and loving. My idea is that Shadow is trying to be caring yet stay his real self, and slowly, Finn's adjusting to someone caring for him again. aaaaa_

 _this story gives me life frs heeeee_


	19. chapter 19

Finn was almost never the first person awake in the morning. When he was with his squad, he was always second to last to wake up. Now, with Shadow, he _was_ last. He didn't know if it was because he had an alarm Finn just never heard or had some bad insomnia or something, but Shadow was almost _always_ awake before he was. If not awake by the time he woke up anyway unless he didn't sleep all night.

So, today, walking down the stairs he fully expected Shadow to hand him a plate of breakfast and tell him what they're going to be doing that day. However, when he saw Shadow laying on the chair with his head tossed back to stare at the ceiling, he was a bit confused.

"Couldn't sleep?" He mumbled, glancing towards the kitchen door. There wasn't sign that Shadow even attempted to cook anything.

"I could, yes. That's not what has me stressed." Shadow sat up, looking at the jackal with a tired expression, but Finn turned away and pulled his hair into a ponytail, ignoring how tangled it was getting from not being properly combed.

"...What does?" He held his breath as Shadow picked up the tv remote, turning it on to the news. He hated watching the news a while ago, all it had were reports on _Infinite_ and wondering where he went.

But, instead of any reports on Infinite, there was a snow leopard on screen. She seemed distressed and exhausted as the feed behind her constantly changed from the weather, static, and then Robotnik. Based on his lack of response to the screen changing, it was pre-recorded.

What he was saying was a bit distorted, but Finn quickly understood that he was demanding to find Infinite, and whoever found him would be greatly rewarded. It made his skin crawl just _looking_ at that doctor again.

"That's not all." Shadow turned off the tv just as the leopard seemingly gave up, standing and walking off screen before the feed cut to black. "Sonic also sent me a message around three AM about bandits spying around an area of land we couldn't recover. Robotnik's video didn't help up in the slightest."

"Doesn't that mean you, Gadget, and Sonic will be in trouble? You three were around me the most." He walked towards the kitchen to start cooking, realizing that Shadow took out the foods he probably planned on making before getting overwhelmed. He folded back his ears to listen.

"Probably. Each of us can hold our own, but I'm worried about you. You haven't exactly learned how to control your powers yet."

"Based on everyone else in that bunker, they'll probably be too stupid to realize it's me anyway. I'm honestly the only jackal around with long hair, two-toned eyes, a scar on his face, and now a scar on his chest." He huffed, glaring at his now scrambled eggs. They didn't start out scrambled.

"We don't know who we're up against, Finn. I'm just suggesting that you be careful." Shadow didn't continue, and Finn sighed. His tail lowered to wrap around his ankle and he squeezed the handle of the pan.

He didn't learn how to master his powers yet. The best he could do were the sparks and now covering his hands with energy, but he didn't know how well he could hold himself in a fight. He meant to ask Shadow for advice, as he was the only one with powers that came directly from his body like him, but he never got a chance.

"So, are you going to go after them?" He asked instead, flipping the last two slices of bacon just as the toaster popped.

"The bandits? Maybe. I don't know how serious it is." As if on cue, there was a buzz and then chime of a ringtone, and Shadow rolled his eyes before answering.

Finn didn't quite hear all of the conversation, as he was speaking lowly, but as he came in with two plates of decently cooked food and gave one to Shadow, he heard the other agree to something.

"What was that?"

"It's not bad. They're strong, but high in number and stubborn. Their leader is a goat." Shadow paused to eat, nodding gently at how much the other improved at timing and heat. That was his main issue. Sure, the eggs were way overcooked, but he didn't comment on them. "So I won't head out unless I'm very much needed."

Finn somehow felt relieved. Maybe it was because he could spend time with Shadow, or maybe it was the fact that he wouldn't be alone if anyone raided the houses looking for Infinite.

He _wasn't_ Infinite anymore. _Infinite_ was a terrible jerk idiot that killed tons of people! The nerve of him! All because he was called weak-- He _was._ His teammates counted on him, but he let them down because he was too weak. Eggman left him because he was too weak. His _family_ first left him because he was too weak. The runt of the litter. The smallest, weakest, the most annoying, pointless jackal pup because he was so sick and scrawny and couldn't take care of himself and resorted to stealing and--

"You know, if you grab your plate any harder, you'll break it." Shadow was already done eating when Finn looked up, plate set on the table next to him and leaning forward with concern. "The last time you looked so stressed was when it was raining. What's wrong? Is this... search for Infinite getting to you?"

Finn put down his plate suddenly, having lost his appetite and was sure there were imprints in his tongue from how hard he was biting his fork. He ran his hand through his hair before reaching the band and ruthlessly yanking it out. Strands of his hair followed it. " _Yes."_

The agent stood and reached out for him. "I can tell. Let's take a walk, it always clears my mind, it might help you."

He sighed and reached out, grabbing Shadow's hand before shuddering and yanking away from his hold. Shadow backed up and looked around in confusion and slight fear.

They were stood in a house Shadow hadn't seen before. It was relatively plain with expensive-looking wooden furniture. There were blurry paintings on the plain white walls and the floor was made of grey linoleum. There were circular and oval rugs dotting in front of the long couch, the television stand, and the loveseat and chair.

It slowly dawned on him what happened, and Shadow quickly turned to look at Finn. He was still sitting on the couch, staring wide-eyed at a doorway with no door, leading to a blurry room that voices came out of. On the couch beside him laid _him_ , small, sniffing, and cuddled a blanket a bit too thin. Three other jackals peeked in on the conversation from a different, connecting hallway.

"He's just bothersome." Came a male voice.

"The doctor said he's too weak to survive the winter." Came a female voice. The voices were so clear.

"I hope not. I don't want to spend all damn winter working just to come home and take care of a little shit that can't even lift his head." The male growled, leading the female to sigh.

"You think you got it bad? I'm stuck with them all day. It's gotten to the point where I don't even care that he cries anymore. The other kids are sick of him, too. He's so weak he keeps complaining about how much pain he's in when clearly I'm the one having to fucking live with him."

Shadow stepped forward, rushing to the room and looking in. The memory was altered, and the jackal parents didn't look normal anymore. Their faces looked scratched out. One's tail had a black tip and the other had a grey tip. Other than that, they looked the same. The supposed father turned to him, but he knew he couldn't be seen.

"And he thinks he can just go out and steal from the neighbors like _we_ don't have a status to uphold. You think we're a family of thieves? I think not!"

"He already smells like death and fear. I live for the day he actually dies."

Finn started crying. The child Finn did, actually. Shadow turned around as the pup kicked at the blanket and whimpered, rubbing at his stomach as he softly sobbed and shivered into the couch. Finn chuckled sadly.

"That day, I was having hunger pains. I hadn't been properly feed in a week because they couldn't be bothered to make me stew." He smiled, but it was full of tears. Shadow was soon over to him but didn't know how to help. "I stole because i needed money for medicine they kept hiding from me because ' _This jackal family doesn't need medicine!'_ "

"Why...? They're terrible, I'm so sorry." He tried.

The father rushed out and grabbed little Finn by his tail, laughing under his breath. The child screamed and howled in pain yet went ignored. "I know how to solve ALL our problems!" The mother stood in the doorway but was silent.

Then, he turned and yanked open the front door. There was a snowstorm outside. Cold snaked in through the house and encircled them.

"No." Shadow snarled. His fists clenched at his sides. Finn sighed.

"Oh, but yes. He didn't have a heart nor a brain."

Shadow looked ready to burst. As angry as he was with just seeing a glimpse of a previous bad memory of his, Finn must be being destroyed by seeing the entire thing playing out again.

Then, he raised the child, and slung his arm back before hurling him out the door. "I won't kill him, but the cold will."

The vision burned white and Shadow and Finn stood next to the child, so deep in the snow that as he tried to crawl back towards the house, too much in pain to stand, the snow reached his chin. He howled and whined for help, but all that responded was the sound of the door slamming shut and the look of three smug jackals peering out at him from the window.

Little Finn breathed in deeply and cried out once more before collapsing.

The snow fell away until Shadow stood where he was before, right in front of Finn who still sat on the couch.

"..." Shadow stared, then stood up straight and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, I know. Trust me, I was trying my hardest to stop that memory but it just wasn't happening. I couldn't even stand up from the couch." He stood up then just to make sure he still had use of his legs, turning towards the door as he glanced at Shadow over his shoulder.

"Anyway, still up for that walk? Maybe later you can help me manage my powers, I don't need to suddenly remember something in the middle of a figh--..." When he saw Shadow again, his eyes were glossy. The hedgehog shook his head clear and followed behind him without mentioning what just happened.

Shadow was crying, or, at least about to cry over his memory. Finn folded back his ears.

"Yes, that seems appropriate."

xox

 _hey y'all. this is a sort of filler because I was just procrastinating like hell this week, so sorry. Hivemind and Transformation comes later, possibly tomorrow or the day after. NGL I totally forgot those stories existed lol_

I've been told that some of y'all are expecting my chapters super late at night and I gotta say that I'm _soo_ sorry. I don't get good sleep, I sleep at 4 maybe 5 am and wake up late, like 12 or 1 pm. Sometimes I'm woken up early but then sleep in the afternoon anyway. Basically, I'm either doing something or asleep, that's why my chapters come at like 2-4 am lol

 _and yeah, his backstory might be a bit odd. I would explain, but I don't feel the need to. He was given no real backstory so I made one up._

 _also the end of these are Q/A's too._

 _yes the grammar is bad/needs work, please stop telling me that. I don't know how to improve it._


	20. chapter 20

The walk was going well. Neither really saw anyone outside, since it was morning on a Saturday and everyone was either asleep or doing laundry. Since they were alone, the two talked a bit freely about everything bothering them. Finn even found himself smiling a bit at Shadow complaining about nothing in particular.

"That's not really a theme, that's a grocery list." Shadow hissed, shrugging a shoulder towards a tree with the stump and log of its sibling next to it. The area was well shaded as it was on the border of where the wooden landscape started to overtake them.

Finn nodded and followed, a small smirk on his muzzle. "Oh, ' _Black hearted evil, brave hearted hero',_ Do you really think you can make fun of _my_ song?"

Shadow's quills stiffened before he even had the chance to sit, his face turning a few shades redder. "That was a long time ago! Yours is recent!"

"My argument still stands, Mr. ' _everyone, everywhere, anyhow, anyway, any-will, everyday_ '." His tail flipped back and forth as Shadow kicked the stump he was going to sit on, taking a sizable chunk out the bark.

"Watch your mouth, ' _the tallest of mountains, the roughest of waves, the toughest of terrors, the darkest of days_!'" He snarled, sitting down and crossing his arms. When Finn laughed and tried to say something, Shadow swiftly turned his head away and held his nose to the sky.

The jackal's tail slowly came to a stop, and his expression quickly turned into hurt. "H-hey... I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

Shadow blinked in surprise and turned around, confusion clear. "I know you didn't? Sorry, I guess you're not quite used to this yet."

"I'm not." He really thought he hurt his pack mate's feelings in the span of the ten seconds he didn't respond, so clearly he needed a lesson or two in 'how to be friends and still have playful arguments.'

"Let's drop that and worry about something else. Do you still want to practice your powers?"

"Yes," Anything to make that less awkward.

Shadow held out his hand, but did nothing with it. Slowly, Finn followed and looked at his own outstretched hand, thinking Shadow was out of his mind and had no clue what he was doing.

"What do you want your weapon to be?" The agent turned to him and Finn shrugged.

"No clue. I'm used to my sword," He let his arm lower but Shadow snapped at him to keep it up. He did but hated it. "But I'm sure I grew too used to long range weapons when... you know."

"I do. While I'm skilled with a sword, I'm very rusty at it, so I go back to close combat and compromise. Imagine a knife, but only the blade."

He did. This seemed idiotic, especially because if he imagined a knife with no handle and that turned out to be his weapon, wouldn't he cut himself constantly if he tried to use it?

"You're really over-thinking this. Just think of a blade laying flat in your palm, Finn."

"Fine fine, _Master Shadow_." He huffed and stared at his hand, imagining what Shadow said. He felt stupid after a few seconds of nothing happening and looked away to something else. There was a bird not too far away singing at the top of its small little lungs, annoying the crap out of him. Didn't that bird know that jackals had sensitive hearing? The nerve of him!

"Good. Your energy is based off emotions, I see." Shadow chuckling next to him made him look down to his hand, pausing and bring it closer when a sort of spear sat in his grip. It was incredibly warm and felt like he was touching something that was constantly moving and vibrating, and it was weird.

"What...?" Turning, Shadow had the exact same thing, only yellow and more defined as a lightning bolt than a tube with a pointy end on it. "What am I doing?"

"I wouldn't say it's a chaos spear, but it's close. Now get rid of it-- delete that image from your mind."

"It's hard to suddenly stop thinking about something--"

"Charmy asked me about that cookie he gave you. I saw you stored it in the fridge and I know for a fact you won't finish it." Finn folded back his ears and frowned, half because he was interrupted, and half because of what he said.

"Did you tell him that? I don't want him to think I was ungrateful!" Shadow only shook his head and told him that he didn't finish it because he fell asleep, which was partially true. Then, he noticed that the spear was gone.

After back and forth commands, he was able to recreate the general shape of his Ruby Sword, and once again form cubes as he loved to do before. He made them float in circles around his head as his pack mate told him the do's and don'ts of using too much at once. He only half-listened.

" _Shaaaadow_!" Came from far away, and both the agent and jackal looked up to see Rouge waving down at them. Shadow was the only one that waved back.

Rouge swooped down, and just as she got a bit too close, she landed with a pose. Shadow clapped. "Whoo, 7.8 out of 10. Slight stumble upon the landing."

"Excuse you, I did _not_ stumble! I gracefully tripped." Rouge leaned forward and kissed Shadow on his cheek, and neither he nor Finn seemed pleased with the action.

"And, hello Finn. How's living with Mr. Grump Hog?" She held out her hand and he took it, growling lowly. She pulled away but he didn't know if she ignored him or didn't hear him in the first place.

"It's... nice." he didn't entirely like her yet. Shadow was ready forgive him after he basically killed him, but she wasn't. She was still fuming secretly and he knew.

"Why so hostile? I'm _trying_ to be friendly here." Rouge smirked, but the tension was thick in the air now.

The jackal stood just as she started to get closer, his fur standing on end as she splayed out her wings. He didn't know if it was a threat or not because it really didn't seem like one, but her barely lifting her lipstick painted top lip and exposing a fang that spoke pure evil, he snarled.

"Break it up, ladies," Shadow got between then before a fight could happen. Based on what he saw earlier, Finn could only access his powers by his emotions, and Rouge could _definitely_ make someone rage in just under a minute. "It was nice seeing you, Rouge, but Finn and I were doing something. Did you need anything?"

The bat crossed her arms, flexing her wings in irritation as Finn stepped beside Shadow and gave her the most smug look in the universe. He was damn lucky Shadow didn't turn around. "In case you slept like a log or just didn't care, this is one of the areas those bandits were seen. I was scoping it out before I saw you two and wanted to say Hi."

Shadow opened his mouth but Rouge leaned forward and curled around him, pressing her hand to his chest and kissing his cheek again. "So, _Hi~."_

Finn was not at all subtle in his growl this time.

"I'm all for affection, really," Shadow droned, rolling his eyes and mentally willing she'd let him go. He wasn't for affection. "But don't you have some idiots to beat up or a red idiot to preach your love to?"

Rouge bursted into a giggling fit, quickly telling Shadow how much she loved to mess with him before flapping her wings and taking off into the sky. she waved down at them both. "Bye now! See you later, Ponytail!"

Finn yelled up at her in a rage as she flew off, already out of sight before his shout ended. He huffed and stared out towards where she left them, tail puffed in annoyance and fists tight at his sides.

"I'm sick of everyone calling me Ponytail."

"It suits you." Shadow started, then, catching the end of Finn's glare, chuckled airly and turned away. "Well, maybe not the name, but the style."

Finn yanked the band out and wrapped it around his wrist instead, crossing his arms and all around just in a bad mood. Shadow pat his back in a somewhat comforting move.

"No need to be so jealous, that's just her odd way of showing affection. You get used to it." He shrugged but Finn stomped his foot similar to a toddler not getting his toy.

"How am I _supposed_ to get used to someone I dislike touching my pack mate, then!?" he snapped "Even you didn't like it!"

Shadow was a bit thrown back. He knew next to nothing about Jackals other than they always stayed in a pack, and those kicked out were doomed to remain alone. It was a brute's society, of harsh Survival of the Fittest. Then, he smirked and turned towards the still fuming jackal when it clicked.

"Pack Mate?"

"Yes, pack mate! What else could I call you? you answer to my howl, you protect me, you keep me happy, you feed me, you house me, you _must_ be my--!" Finn's expression suddenly turned sour, then hurt. He turned away to stare at the ground. "Unless you don't--"

"That's fine," Again Shadow pat his back-- apparently that was the most contact he was comfortable with giving-- and showed a rare smile. "It's endearing. I'll be your pack mate then if you promise to be my friend."

He only shyly nodded, continuing his staring contest with the dirt. It was currently winning. "Whatever."

"Keep practicing what I told you earlier, I'll go get your sword." With that, Shadow turned and started jogging back to the Bunker, mumbling something along the lines of "You really need a strap for that thing," along the way.

Finn watched him leave until he grew too blurry to recognize and stood up, summoning the same energy from before and turning it into cubes. He could only master four medium sized ones, but he could turn them into eight tiny ones. He let them float around his head as he attempted to form more similar to how he used to in the past.

Long story short, he failed, and ultimately gave up on that plan to form his 'sword' and start slashing at the air like he would she he first got the real one.

He was very young but headstrong, and when he was first handed that sword he thought he was invincible. Sure, he was the last in his group to even have a blade of his own, but his stood out more. It was was bright red, curved, and was as light as a feather. He spun and slashed at innocent bushes, cut down vines to do nothing with, and decimated tall grasses in wide arches simply because he could. Of course, the very same day he nearly sliced his eye open from being so reckless, but at that point the pain didn't register and he just kept going.

When he was first able to go on a heist with his new sword, he screwed everything up and ended up losing half the valuables from either cutting them in half or flat out knocking them off the shelves just for Kelvin to snarl at him when the museum's alarms rang and they had to book it, but he felt so alive.

When Kelvin finally passed was when Finn took himself more seriously, and took charge of his former squad, making him the youngest squad leader of their small village.

He smiled at the distant memory and ended his exercise by pretending to plant his sword in the dirt, but it broke apart similar to a shattering mirror and returned to its original cube forms.

Years of jackal training and instincts rushed back to him in an instant and his ears quickly trained on two noises, one approaching silently and slowly, and the other harsh and fast. He knew the second was Shadow.

Problem was, both were coming from opposite directions. He quickly turned towards the dense bushes and hissed. "Show yourself."

The sound suddenly stopped, then receded. He didn't think much of the cowardly act and spun around to meet up with Shadow just as he slowed to a stop.

"Any casualties while I was gone?" Shadow twisted his sword around skillfully, barely missing cutting himself by abruptly stopping and slowly giving the sword over. Finn hooked it over his shoulder and glanced to where he heard the noise from earlier.

"No." he pointed the blade to Shadow, smirking delishly once energy danced around it. "Ready to die?"

Shadow dismissed wanting to whisper 'again?' to summon a Chaos Spear, letting the energy crackle throughout his left arm. He narrowed his eyes and grinned. "Are you?"

... And, after about hour and a half of battle, both were surprisingly still standing.

The ground was barren with life now; all grass was burned to a crisp, and the log and stump they had been sitting on earlier sliced to pieces and currently smoking from a poorly aimed bolt of chaos energy.

Finn was nearly heaving with effort, legs shaking and sword dug into the ash at his feet to keep him upright, but he was standing. Though he clearly didn't win, he was _still standing_. Though he was sure he lost a lot of fur and probably bruised a rib or two from when he accidentally pissed Shadow off, he was still standing.

Shadow had gotten cut way too many times to count, and was squeezing a stab wound to his stomach and forcing it to heal, but he was in no worse shape than Finn. He could still fight on, but it was clear the jackal was on his last legs.

The agent stood up tall, ignoring his still open wound and crossing his arms. "Good job." he spoke simply, then grabbed the jackal's wrist. "But I think we should rest before carrying out with the rest of our day."

" _Yes,_ " Finn whispered desperately, moving his hand to grab onto Shadow's tightly. He wasn't giving up whatsoever, he was just tired. So unbelievably tired. How could Shadow keep up?

He was lifted up and onto Shadow's back, but at the moment he didn't even care about getting a piggy-back ride. Even with Shadow 'jogging,' he was still going extremely fast, and he had to duck his head down to avoid getting a headache.

His mind was constantly throwing him back to the Pack Mate = Friend situation. Saying Pack mate was a complete accident-- He actually didn't want to say anything, he had just been too angry and snapped at him. Shadow agreed to be in his pack, to be his family, and he agreed to be Shadow's friend. He had both a family _and_ a friend now.

Well, he knew for a fact that _Shadow_ was the leader of the pack, no argument there. He wouldn't be able to handle the pressure, even if there was none.

He felt Shadow hike him up a little and he tightened his hold around his neck to stay balanced.

But, not too long afterwards, Shadow noticed Finn was oddly limp against his back. When he got to the Bunker, he laid his friend down to rest on a bed in the Infirmary and sat next to him to dutifully clean his own wounds.

xox

 _take this as an appology for saying i was gonna post and then absolutely not for about two weeks-- I'm currently working on HM and T as I speak._

 _Shadow and Finn are officially friends! And Finn hates birds. And Rouge._

 _and Finn is wanted._

 _Nice ;)_

 _anyway im off to update some more stuuffff_

wait before I go

 _yee! im glad so many people like the backstory I gave him! i imagine that Jackals are very cut-throat and are all about strength and pride, not emotions and weakness. The pack part means that one jackal will see another as family, and they would use their combined efforts to keep the other alive and thriving. Their calls are rare, but they only do so whrn in dire need of help, so when Shadow constantly answered his call and supported him since he was found, Finn just adopted him as a part of his pack!_

 _So, in short, Shadow became an honerary Jackal_

 _and in case anyone didn't get it-- it was weird how I explained it-- since Finn doesn't fully know what he can do yet as all his past memories of being Infinite are shot, he doesn't understand that when he and another touch bare hands (no gloves), they are sent to a flashback depending on the strength in emotions_

 _I received no more questions/comments so this is the end of the chapter, goodbye!_


	21. chapter 21

Shadow had long since dozed off himself, curled up in one of the two chairs provided per bed, head laid back and posture overall relaxed. He had waited for thirty minutes-- enough that Finn would have woken up, his injuries were severe and he was just tired more than anything-- before finding himself wanting to nap. He checked his messages, talked to Sonic for about a full minute before the hedgehog ended the call by falling into a puddle of mud, and was informed by Tails that something was up with Omega. He simply replied to tell Rouge to give him a kick or two, and he'd be fine. When Tails only sent back a text angry frowning face, he laughed and put his communicator away. Then, after ten more minutes of staring out into space, Shadow was down and out for the count.

Cream had come in a couple of times to check on them, each time successfully waking Shadow up, as no one could sneak around him without him knowing, but noticed that Finn was healing fine and was actually asleep, not napping, and told him. Of course, she took the opportunity to braid the jackal's hair as she _knew_ she'd never get the chance again. Shadow even rooted her on.

But, Shadow's not-so-pleasant slumber of a dreamless sleep was interrupted harshly but Finn springing up in bed, clutching at his furred chest so tightly that Shadow saw his claws dig into his skin. He folded back his ears and waited as the other calmed down, and, eventually, Finn's breathing returned normal and he regarded Shadow with a pleading stare.

"I'm..." he started, then shook his head and looked to his lap. The hand that was still on his chest was bandaged, and he pulled it away to look at it in confusion. "Hey."

"Hello," Shadow answered "Nightmare again?"

Finn nodded and turned to sit, facing Shadow but looking down. The hedgehog groggily pulled himself into a proper position. "Yes, but worse. I hated how it felt..."

Shadow raised an eyeridge but let him trail off. It came as no surprise to find out that having a gem shoved into your body was painful, but he didn't expect Finn to still have nightmares about it.

"How did you stop them? The nightmares?" He whispered, curling his tail around himself carefully. Absentmindedly, he touched the scar on his chest, and then his face. Shadow could only shake his head.

"You don't," he wanted to lie, but it wouldn't help. "You just... get over it."

Finn paused, then breathed deeply. Shadow also suffered from nightmares, too, he remembered. The Maria thing was probably one of them, but Shadow seemed to be fine any other time.

He blinked and nodded, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing. Without much thought, he held out his hand for Shadow to take, and the other stood up with his help. For a second, through the thin fabric of the bandage, he felt a buzz of energy. Apparently Shadow didn't as he turned and started to leave, getting about ten steps away before Finn hurried to catch up to him.

His mind wandered while he followed a step behind Shadow, just off to his right but not at all paying attention to him. Shadow had said something, but when he realized the other was off in his own little world he simply crossed his arms and continued on.

Finn remembered that Shadow had gotten a call, from who he didn't know, informing him about the bandits that had taken over what he assumed was previous Resistance territory. From what he was told, their leader was a goat, but that was all he really knew about them. And, based on what that annoying bat told them, they had been near the area they were spotted. So the person he heard approaching could have _possibly_ been one of them. But, with zero evidence other than hearing something he had to leave the idea be and turned back to Shadow.

"You said something?"

"I did about five minutes ago," he snapped, but quickly calmed down in the blink of an eye. "Silver and Knuckles have some stuff for you to help them with, but I can't be with you because Omega kept signalling while Tails was giving him a tune-up and no one can understand his signals but me."

Finn's tail bristled at 'I can't be with you,' then flattened back down so he wouldn't see. "Okay," he could tell Shadow noticed "But none of us have a good history with each other."

"I don't think that really matters, they just need your help to set up some rations to be shipped. You three can sit in silence the entire time, I'm sure no one really cares about socializing right now." Already, Finn could see his attention shifting when an odd, quiet beeping pattern. He didn't have much knowledge in morse code, nor did he actually know how Omega even worked as he seemed more human than robot, but nothing sounded remotely familiar to him.

"Fine." Shadow frowned in confusion towards him, but shook it off and pointed him off to the direction of where the other were waiting before leaving.

Finn watched him go. His hands curled into tight fists as he saw Shadow open and then go behind a door, closing it behind him. He stared at the door for a long time, so long that people in passing questioned if he was alright or waiting on someone in there, but he quickly whispered that he was fine and hurried off to the place he was very late showing up to.

"Finn! There you are!" Silver huffed, not at all too happy to see him walking through the door. Honestly, the feeling was mutual, but he didn't say it. "Sonic would have _been_ here on time."

Sonic this, Sonic that, whatever. He wasn't Sonic.

The ivory hedgehog was leaning against the wall and holding a clear plastic cup with some very light brown liquid and ice inside, topped with whip cream and a straw. The smell was too faint to pinpoint. Knuckles, however, was wrist deep in a bag of grapes and refused to come up for air it seemed. He simply grunted a greeting. Finn, being the good sport he was, grumbled something along the lines of 'hello'.

"Nice hair." The echidna snickered, and it took the jackal running his fingers over his hair to realize that a few locks were braided near his ears. Whatever. Braids were viewed highly in Jackal Society.

"What am I doing here?" He sighed, the question sounding more like a long word as he walked up to one of the many, _many_ boxes stacked against the wall, one on top the other. The rest were flat and yet to be set up and filled.

"Work with Knuckles. He stacks, you take them down and load them on the truck outside." Silver explained. Seemingly, Knuckles was taking a break from socializing for the day, but the jackal didn't mind too much. All the echidna did was narrow his eyes and mumble something about Sonic. Finn rolled his eyes.

He looked over to the stack of boxes and walked over to them, pressing his hand on the top-most box and pushing up. It was incredibly heavy, and actually _just_ out of reach. Standing on his tail was an option, but... He didn't feel like arguing that he should stack and Knuckles take them out. There was a dolly he could take them out on, as a door lead to outside, where just outside the window he could see a truck waiting for the rations. His ears flattened against his head.

"Okay."

As soon as he agreed, they sprung into action. Finn was alarmed for a second, watching Silver lift five boxes, reform all five, and fill all five with various items just to toss one at a time to Knuckles who caught them with a grunt and stacked them, but he hurried to not look stupid.

The top box was his enemy, but he got it down and tried not to cave under its weight as he took it onto the dolly. The second was lower, and the third, fourth, and fifth, none of them any lighter though. He could only stack them three high on the cart before it got too high to see over. But, apparently he wasn't working fast enough when Knuckles gave him a solid glare. Finn quietly snarled and pulled the cart outside.

Luckily he didn't have to load them himself, there was another mobian there who tossed the boxes in, where another inside the large box truck stacked them once more. He thanked them kindly and went back into the Room of Hell to rise and repeat.

Over and over, Knuckles would glare or even do Finn's job for him if he didn't move faster. Silver was a bit nicer in his display of disappointment by only making one or two boxes at a time, letting the jackal know he had to speed up.

This was his _first_ time, they had to calm down! The other people were going to get their food, right!? They wouldn't die _this day_ if they don't get their damn peas _right this instant!_

When his temper flared, he felt a warm pulse beneath his palm and quickly took a breath, hurrying along by dragging out three-stacked boxes instead of two. Sight wasn't needed, he supposed.

Shadow told him his emotions controlled his energy-- or ay least they fueled them, and if he wanted to keep his powers a secret, his temper had to be one too.

Three-stack became four, and four soon became five, until Finn was almost being crushed but he refused to get upset about it. He even ran back and forth with the dolly to get them to stop thinking he was so weak, so inferior to the almighty _Sonic_ who could do this job in a heartbeat!

' _Temper, temper,_ ' he thought, mentally apologizing to the box bottom he torched a bit when he placed it in the truck. It was a bit more than half, he could control himself, he could make it to the end. He went back inside and started putting more boxes on his cart, he was making a pretty sizable dent in the echidna's pile, he only had three stacks left, but then again Silver was making five at a time so it didn't mean much.

The jackal paused at a box that wasn't fully sealed nor filled correctly, knowing it would spill over in the truck, and went to fix it. Without his second glove, the tape stuck to his fur as he tried endlessly to fix the broke box. He could be calm. He could be nice. He could be gentle. He wasn't a brute like his mom and dad.

Mom and Dad, _mom_ and _dad_. The two worst people in his life, could they _really_ be called that? The tape didn't stick anymore. They tossed him out his own home, his birthplace, all because he was sick and didn't want to care for him properly! All because he stole food to survive a night and worked for money to buy himself medicine, which would constantly be taken and dumped if he didn't hide it good enough because Jackals Didn't Take Medicine. The tape stuck to his fur and fully ripped off the box.

"Finn!" Knuckles shouted, just then deciding to speak. The jackal glared.

"I CAN'T GO ANY _**FUCKING** _FASTER, OKAY!?" He snapped, breathing heavily and picking up the box, launching it over his head into the corner where it burst at the seams and spilled its contents in a pile. Most of whatever was inside broke apart and leaked. His hands glowed a deep, red heat. "Fix your damn boxes, Silver, and don't complain about not having Sonic every goddamn ten seconds because sur-fucking-prize, I'M NOT SONIC! I WILL NEVER BE AS FAST AS SONIC!"

The last part was directed towards Knuckles, the two now completely frozen. His glow disappeared as he rubbed at his eyes in case any stray tears tried to make themselves known.

Finn sniffled and hurried to finish off his load of boxes, taking the dolly over to the door and breaking out into the afternoon sun. The warmth gave him a gentle hug as he stood, watching the other two toss in the boxes.

His body shook, but he breathed. Deeply, in and out, and slowly calmed down. He scratched his chest, turned around, and went back inside.

Silver wasn't using his telekinesis anymore, he had one, single, solitary box, and was carefully taping the bottom of it together, then carefully putting everything inside and taping it up just as slowly. Knuckles, meanwhile, was cleaning up the box Finn had hurled earlier. He had put too much power behind it, channelled his anger from something else into his throw, and the wall's paint had stretched and cracked, and the drywall had fell away to reveal brick behind it. Even the floor beneath was damaged.

Finn lifted a box, turned, and put it on the cart. He didn't make it.

The rest of the packing was entirely silent. Silver still worked a bit fast, even without using his powers, and Knuckles no longer made the stacks so tall, but now after Silver was on a new set he would simply stand there and stare at the ground instead of help the jackal load them.

But, neither looked sad. They didn't exactly look angry, either. It was something, a different emotion, but Finn couldn't pinpoint it and left it alone.

The job ended when the truck was full.

Finn turned and left right away without a goodbye or even a grunt, quickly going over to the door Shadow went into just to get smacked in the face when it opened suddenly to a robot stepping out. He deserved it. It didn't even register to him when Omega buzzed out 'my apologies' while placing his large hand on his head befor econtinuing on his way. Shadow came out right after him, looking around in wonder at the heavy thud that came from the door, but when he saw his friend's nose bleeding and him standing without even attempting to complain loudly, he grew worried.

He lifted his hand, using his glove to wipe the blood away. "What happened? Why do you look so...?" The agent trailed off, noticing the sign of him about to cry, but the tears never came.

Finn simply rose his hand, showed his burned away bandages hanging to his arm by threads. Then, leaned forward, pressing his head to Shadow's chest and listening to his heartbeat. He belatedly remembered that Shadow hated being touchy-feely with anyone.

Right away, the hedgehog cringed, folding back his ears and twitching his fingers to ignore the urge to push him away in his time of need. It was awkward; they were freaking standing in a doorway, and Finn was having a breakdown right when Shadow didn't want to be social. Tails watched it all with a raised eyeridge but didn't question it.

Ignoring how much he hated this situation, his brain switched into Protect Finn mode and he stepped back, turning to guide the jackal to the couch in the room and letting him sit down on it. He dusted off his fur when he was sure the other wasn't watching, though. Tails leaned over Finn's shoulder and gently squeezed his hand. Finn noted that he smelled like oil.

"Finn...? You okay, buddy? You got a pretty nasty burn there, do you want some chocolate milk to feel better?" Tails smiled and, when Finn opened his eyes to stare at him in confusion, the fox smiled more and wagged both tails behind him.

"Yep! Chocolate milk and ice cream makes everything better." He stood up and raced off before the jackal could say anything to him. He wasn't actually burned-- or, at least, it didn't feel like it. He just felt terrible.

Shadow took his place instead and sat on the arm of the couch. Finn found himself frowning when he tried to curl into the cushions just to realize it wasn't as soft as the one at home.

"Want to tell me what happened there?"

"I'm dead meat, that's what. I kept getting pressured so much and I kept getting myself too angry at things I shouldn't be angry about anymore that I ended up snapping at them and throwing a box so hard it made a hole in the wall. I even," he paused, lifting the arm that the bandages were barely holding on to just for it to erupt in phantom energy and circle all the way up to his elbow, finishing off the wrappings so it fell to the ground. "Showed them."

Shadow brought a knee up and rested his arm on it "What did they do?" Finn dropped his arm back to the couch and sat up, feeling a bit better but not wanting to admit talking about his feelings helped. He had to have _some_ pride, right?

"They stopped working so fast, and they all had this look on their faces. I hated it." he tried to mimic them, but ended up failing miserably. At least he got Shadow to smirk out of it, so now they both weren't so down.

Tails came back on the end of his sentence, giving Shadow a small bowl of chocolate ice cream, Finn a cup of chocolate milk and vanilla ice cream before sitting comfortably on the floor with his own bowl of strawberry. It was clear that he gave himself more than the other two.

There was also another couch in the room, and still more room on the couch they were sitting on, but no one wanted to bring it up.

"...What did that robot even say?" Finn changed the subject, watching as Shadow sneered into his bowl. Tails only hummed in thought.

"Surprisingly, Omega was telling us information on Robotnik. He had gotten damaged fighting one of his newer robot models, but managed to lead him off and escape with minor damage. A part of his coding was reset to a code only members of the ARK used, so Shads here could understand him perfectly." He stirred his ice cream around "But I don't like the sound of those robots, though. Omega fought through nearly half before he had to give up, and he's a strong robot."

The jackal had not once looked up from his glass. It was very pretty, yes, but for some reason he wasn't hungry. Or, at least, ready to try whatever 'Ice cream' or 'Chocolate Milk' was. He simply watched the treat slowly melt. "...Did he find out what he was doing over here?"

He still hated Eggman. He was sure Shadow-- heck, anyone would agree that he needed a good beat down. Maybe a good swing by the tail, or a quick plunge in the ocean. Set him straight.

"Yeah, looking for you, but everything was taken care of for now. We still don't totally--"

Finn snapped up, looking at Tails in absolute shock before turning to look at Shadow. He didn't seem phased. "Wh-- How did you--?Why--?"

"When you're friends with me, you're friends with Omega. Omega will never forget a face, and, honestly, during the translations he described you too perfectly for it to be anyone else." Shadow explained but that still didn't mean the jackal was happy about the situation. He finally ate some ice cream.

His eyes widened a fraction at the cold, but he hummed at the flavour. He didn't think he ever had chocolate nor vanilla before-- what else had he missed out on? He shoveled some more into his mouth, completely forgetting about what they were even saying in favour of cramming spoonfuls of ice cream into his mouth and letting it melt on his tongue so he could savour the sweetness. Though, it all came to a screeching halt when the roof of his mouth burned numb and his head began to pound and scream at him in anger. Finn hissed and set the cup down to wrap his tail around himself and press his palms to his head in an attempt to warm his frozen brain.

"Brain freeze," Shadow whispered, in a slightly mocking/joking tone, leading Tails to snicker behind his namesakes before sputtering and coughing, choking on a small strawberry. He quickly fixed himself and snorted in suppressed laughter as Shadow sighed and shook his head, telling the jackal how to make the pain stop.

Silent filled the air, but it was surprisingly pleasant. Finn sighed once the headache finally stopped, taking his thumb from the roof of his mouth and frowning at the sooty taste of bandage remains. He washed it down with a _careful_ amount of chocolate milk.

"So, you finally know. Are you going to tell everyone?" He asked, the question sudden and startling. Shadow bristled a bit and Tails looked at him in pure concern.

"No! Why would I do that? Sure, we may have had a rocky start, but I wouldn't out you like that!" The kit stood up and reached out, hugging Finn suddenly "You're our friend! I wouldn't just out your secret just to get Egghead off our backs. Who knows what he'd do to you."

Hugging a fox. Hugging another dog. Contact with the canine family. A friend. A friend that cared about him. A friend that tried to make him happy. His arms lifted from his chest and he stood, hugging Tails tightly, well beyond the limit where it became awkward and the kit wanted to pull away.

Shadow only whispered for him to endure it, as the jackal needed comfort right now, and Tails chuckled lightly and pat his back. The number of his pack increased.

xox

 _this is (slightly) longer because of **Infinite's Ruby** sending me such a wonderful PM! _

_They even told me they went back and reread some chapters and saw little bits of foreshadowing I threw in-- that really freaking warmed my cold, dead heart, man, thank you so much!!_

 _Shadow's a lil different than the Sonic Games Shadow, I cut off a little of the edge and sanded him down a lil. Still sharp enough to cut, but not so jagged._

 _and, **BluieTheJackal,**_ _complimenting my backstory and calling me Speka? You're so wonderful! Thank you._

 _ **Admiralkirk** , Yep, the sure are! Finn's gotten stronger, though is still too weak to go a full battle with Shadow I figured, since __in-game they didn't actually fight ever, with Infinite being rekt when first attempted and then he goes to use the phantom ruby on him for months instead of going one-on-one, that Infinite going against Shadow would be a pretty even fight with no real winners unless the ruby was used for a vision. So, in this story, I made them relativly even. When Finny ol' boy gets stronger, who knows ;) ah_

 _um, I think that's it!_

 _see you tomorrow night with Hive Mind!_

like i tried to edit this but I'm like?? so tired. so, so tired.


	22. chapter 22

Finn had bad past experiences with labs of any kind, so when Tails told him to head to his lab first thing in the morning, he was a bit wary.

Another thing was, he was too nervous to sleep all that well. The jackal was awake well into the night, where at nearly 3AM, after staring at his bedroom ceiling for two hours, he wandered into Shadow's room because he was bored and couldn't sleep. And, as a tip, never wake Shadow up at 3 am if you value your life.

Luckily, Finn was too tired to really care about the many mumbles of death threats and vivid descriptions of what he'd do if he was ever woken up again as he lead the jackal downstairs. He simply watched Shadow drag his feet into the kitchen and disappear from view.

Finn laid his back over the arm of the couch, ears just barely brushing the carpeted floor and arms hanging down as he now stared at the downstairs ceiling.

"Sorry for waking you up." he spoke, quietly, as Shadow was still probably mad at him. When the hedgehog came back to the living room holding two mugs, he sat up and took the one that was offered.

"Okay." Shadow sat down in his chair, took one sip, and promptly fell asleep. Finn stared at the mug he held gently in his hands and wondered if it would spill over, but didn't want to wake him up by taking it.

So, instead, he looked at his mug and blinked down at it. There were two stick-like things sticking out of something warm but had white froth on top, so he took out one of the sticks and bit into it. It had a sweet but spicy-ish, familiar taste to it, which he absolutely loved, and ended up eating both cinnamon sticks before finally taking a sip of the drink.

It was milk, but sweet. It felt nice and warm in his stomach and the jackal curled up on his side to enjoy it. A small sound turned his attention to the television, still on for no reason. It was on the news, with the same snow leopard has before. This time she was drinking straight black coffee.

The clip behind her was the Eggman thing again, but this time switched to something else for maybe a second before going right back. The volume was too low to focus clearly on whatever anyone was saying, but he did hear the leopard say "What? It's 2:43 AM. No one's awake and this crap hasn't shut off all day."

It started to rain outside. Soft drizzle against the windows. Finn folded back his ears and continued to watch the tv, though he didn't pay much attention to it. It was what was on last time, of Eggman demanding that anyone who finds Infinite would get a reward. He was slightly curious what the reward would be, but, knowing Eggman as long as he had, he knew it would either be nothing, betrayal, or becoming his henchman. His tail bristled in anger and he sneered at the screen as if the doctor could see him. What did he even need Infinite for? And, with the mask destroyed and ruby long gone as far as he was concerned, there was no Infinite. There was only Finn, and he was proud to be Finn.

The leopard downed the rest of her coffee, stood, and turned the camera to a different screen before sitting down at the desk again and reading out the weather for tomorrow. There would be a late storm, of dense fog and heavy rains. Finn stopped paying attention after a while and finished off his warm milk, stretching out on the couch and looking around in content. He felt warm and fuzzy inside. Shadow was across from him at an angle, sitting his head tilted down and steaming mug of milk still in his hands.

This was where he lived, now. This was the couch he laid on. This was his and Shadow's living room. Next to the hanging TV was the fireplace, currently blazing embers instead of an actual fire. In front of the fireplace was a coffee table, and the table stood on carpet which covered a once clean hardwood floor. He and Shadow lived together. Just about a month and a half ago, had Shadow stood there and not done anything, he would have been a bloated body washing up on the beach, half torn apart by fish and birds by now. But, that didn't happen, and he and Shadow were friends, and they were in a pack together with Tails, another canine that appreciated and helped him.

Going to the lab would be fine, he would be fine. Finn smiled and closed his eyes, letting himself fall asleep. Everything was fine.

The morning was greeted by Finn waking up early but not moving from his spot, simply staring ahead at the coffee table his mug currently sat on. Then, he looked at the clock hanging on the wall that read 7:34 AM which, for him who usually woke up at 9 or later, was early. He then trailed his eyes over to Shadow.

The hedgehog had not moved an inch ever since he sat down, the now cold sweet milk with melted whipped cream still in his hands and still sitting in his lap. His head was tilted down, ears forward and lax and body posture overall slumped. But that wasn't the reason why he was watching, Finn wanted to see how Shadow would wake up without knowing he was holding something.

As the clock ticked on and the jackal started to get bored, Shadow's ears began to twitch and he sniffled a few times, scrunching up his face and sitting up straight. His mouth opened wide in a yawn, and, just as Finn hoped, he had completely forgotten that he was holding something as he let go of the mug with one hand and raised his arms over his head and kicked out his legs to stretch. A second later, Shadow let out a very un-manly yelp as the cold, white liquid splashed down onto his head and he sprung to his feet, opening his eyes and holding his arms out to the side of him as he looked uimself over in disgust. The milk dripped down his face and off his quills, turning him more into a sopping wet rat than a hedgehog.

Suppressed, muffled snickering made him look up, seeing Finn with a pillow over his head. The only issue was that his body was shaking from laughter and his tail was wagging behind him.

"Stop laughing, you could have warned me." He hissed, and, seeing as he was caught, the jackal pulled the pillow away to continue laughing.

"I waited thirty minutes to see that-- I'm going to laugh!" He sat up just as Shadow growled about being disgusting, sticky, and smelling like sugar as he went to work as he walked away to the stairs.

"Why did you stare at me for thirty minutes instead of get up and be productive?" He shot back, but the jackal wasn't bother. He knew Shadow was just in a mood because he was messy and was caught doing something embarrassing.

But, heeding Shadow's advice, he stood and attempted to make waffles. The agent had done it so many times, and the gadget was still sitting on the counter, ready to be used. The word gadget quickly reminded him of that wolf, and he wondered how he was fairing. He hadn't seen him in a while. Ah, well, the waffles weren't going to make themselves. Luckily there was a timer.

When Shadow came back downstairs, drying himself off with a towel as he mentally complained that he smelled like the backside of a gingerbread man, he spotted Finn with a bag of cinnamon sticks and munching away at them as he stared at the waffle maker. It took a second for the jackal to notice him, but when he did his tail gave a short wag and he hummed a greeting.

"Why are you eating my cinnamon?"

"Oh, I forgot that was what it was called. There were plenty of trees where I used to live, where the bark was harvested. The children got the top layer, and the adults the bottom. When I finally grew up I was able to actually taste the real cinnamon and I grew fond of it." He explained, ear folding back when he heard a beep of the machine. He opened it and sniffed at the waffles. He turned the heat up a bit too high, or perhaps the timer a bit too long, but only one corner was a bit darker than the rest. That was alright, they could just eat around it. He set those on a plate and gave it to Shadow, who still looked a bit confused.

"I see." He spoke lamely, drizzling a little strawberry syrup onto his breakfast. "I don't know much about where you lived."

Finn was on his fourth stick before he set the bag down, so he turned around and leaned against the counter as his waffles cooked. "I wouldn't expect you to, I don't talk about it much. I don't remember enough to really talk about, it was very strict there, so anything I'd tell you wouldn't be too positive."

"Hit me." The agent ate the browned part first to get the worst of it out the way, a bit surprised to find that the rest of the waffle was pretty much perfect. It wasn't too thin or too thick, too. "I'm curious."

"Well, Jackals are very proud mobians, and almost never show compassion for someone unless they're in a pack or a family member. Always braiding their hair or having it in locks, too. Many Jackals never cut their hair or brush their fur until they're older, and everyone was nearly the same and followed the same rules. I was an outcast from the start because of obvious reasons, so when they saw I was different, from how small I was to this," he touched just below his right eye, and Shadow mutely nodded "A few rules had to be changed just for me. No one liked that idea."

The maker beeped once more and Finn took his waffles out and sat at the table, eating his a bit faster as it neared the time he would meet with Tails. "The only other things I remember were mostly food and culture. I was only with my family for four years, so naturally my memory is very limited."

Shadow stared down at his plate as he used the last slice of waffle to mop up the rest of the syrup so the plate would be easier to clean. "Do you ever want to go back? Now that you're older and stronger, to see how things are and if anything has changed?"

"Do you go back to the ARK?" He asked instead, taking a harsh bite off his fork and regretting it afterwards from nearly stabbing his tongue.

"Surprisingly, yes. No one's ever there anymore, and most of the experiments have died after so long without care. There are very few that are still living, and they now live up there, where I used to live. It's very... shocking, to go somewhere you remember so clearly, every vent and corridor and wall and room, just to see it again where everything's the same but different. It's similar to someone going to your house and shifting all the furniture five inches to the left." He vividly remembered that horrible prank Sonic pulled, where after leaving for a GUN mission for a month, the hedgehog did just that and made Shadow think he was losing his mind for weeks because everything seemed off and he continued to bump into furniture before the other came clean.

"...Maybe, then. Just... not now, or soon. I'm not... that ready to go yet, I'm just now getting used to having a pack again." The jackal stood and gathered their plates, walking over and dumping them in the sink. "I'm supposed to be meeting with Tails in a few minutes, care to join?"

By 'care to join,' he actually meant 'you're coming with me' so Shadow didn't have an opinion on that matter. Finn was shaking every step towards Tails' lab, which, as he came to regretfully notice, wasn't at the Bunker. They were walking towards a house he didn't recognize, but to be completely honest, he didn't recognize any of these houses. He needed to get out more. His only saving grace was that Shadow was directly next to him, ears forward and relaxed completely despite him not being a morning person and still smelling like an imploded bakery.

"What did you even put in that milk?" He asked, trying to get his mind off whatever was terrifying him so much about a kit's lab. "I've been meaning to ask for a while."

"Eh, it's vanilla, honey, cream, and cinnamon boiled in regular milk. Naturally sweetened without using sugar."

"Did Charmy teach it to you." It was more of a statement than a question, as Shadow's chuckle and shake of his head concluded that, yes, Charmy made it. He imagined the bee making two giant steaming mugs of it and handing one to the agent, sitting down with him to enjoy it just to find Shadow dead asleep before he even got to say the first word.

Finn looked up at the sky and breathed in the morning air. The sky was bright and such a deep shade of blue, plenty of clouds lining it and hiding the sun from view. Then, his view was suddenly stopped from him tripping and falling face first against something solid yet soft.

"Watch where you're walking, Finn." Shadow sighed, but it was in a tone that was gentle yet reprimanding. The jackal righted himself and dusted off his fur while Shadow opened the front door and let themselves in.

The only person in the living room was Sonic, who was snoring while strung up in cords. Based on the way he was somewhat upside down, chest pressed against the floor and back half raised entirely while a half-installed ceiling fan dangled just under his knees, he had been doing some renovations himself and utterly failed so badly that he simply fell asleep right then and there. Shadow rolled his eyes but lead the jackal inside and closed the door behind him, turning and making a beeline for the stairway.

It was hard to ignore the hedgehog pinata, but Finn followed just a step behind Shadow, silently wondering why he had Sonic's house key and why he knew the passcode to opening Tails' lab. He tried to pay attention to the numbers himself in case of future emergencies, but the agent had his entire right hand over the panel and was using his thumb to enter it. After another second of trying his hardest to see it without Shadow knowing he was trying, the door beeped and clicked open with his attempts remaining fruitless.

Tails sat, wide awake, in his office chair. His namesakes were twitching back and forth as he kicked off the ground and launched himself backwards towards a large machine, and after a minute of tinkering with it, he kicked off the ground again but collided with the desk and took a spill onto the floor. Since Shadow didn't react, he judged this was a normal thing. The kit looked up and smiled brightly.

"Finn! Shadow! I didn't expect you here," He sat up and used his tails to bring the chair closer so he could help himself stand, then rushed over and held out his hand for a fist bump. Finn did it with a grimace-- Gadget and Sonic had did that so much when he was Infinite, he didn't think everyone did it. "But that's great anyway! I could use an example!"

"You love to use me an example and sample," The agent wandered over to his table, one hand on his wrist. "Don't you?"

"A little bit." The fox admitted it with no problem as he grabbed and yanked Finn's hand over to a machine just as tall as them with a large space taken out of it. It was similar to a tank, with a clear glass sliding door and grey handle.

Unceremoniously, he was shoved in. "This'll scan you really quick, okay?" Tails said.

Or, at least that's what he was going to say, before Finn launched himself forward, howling and crashing to the ground. He held his head, ears pinned back and tails bristling.

In that tank, the tank of cold, cold liquid, freezing him to the core and numbing him to the intruding stab of the ruby attempting to bond with his natural energy. It sucked and clawed at his chest like barbed tendrils and burned him like acidic fire, but the rest of him was frozen. His mouth was covered with not only the oxygen mask keeping his sad, sorry, numb body alive, but the mask he was determined to hide behind. He cried out and tried to lift his arms to pry it off, all of it, the mask, the oxygen, the ruby-- He wanted the pain to stop! He wanted the cold to stop! If he had to die, so be it! He called and screamed and pleaded and begged and all that did was cause him to hyperventilate and force the ruby to lash out at him for panicking.

Shadow held onto the writhing jackal for dear life, bleeding profusely from claws holding into and ripping down his arm in a panic. Finn tried to claw from his hold, pulling and yanking and tearing up strips of skin as he screamed. Tails had froze in place, shaking down to his core as he watched the other lapse into an anxiety attack, knowing he had caused it. He watched Shadow receive painful slash after painful slash, not once flinching or trying to make him stop. He simply sat on the ground with him, arms wrapped around his stomach and chest and holding him to his body.

"Finn! Wake up, you're fine!" He called, harshly whispered near directly into the jackal's ear as he continued to struggle. Soon the words hit him and his hand paused in it's last attack, gripping Shadow's shoulder and digging his nails into his warm skin. Slowly, his breathing calmed, and he let himself curl up around the warmth, sobbing openly as he wrapped his entire form around it.

Shadow sighed and ran his hand down the jackal's back looking up to the kit with an impassive frown. "This isn't your fault," he started, talking to the both of them "So calm down, everything is fine."

xox

 _hey if I ever title these things this would be called "Everything is fine."_

 _uh part of this was inspired/based off a conversation **Infinite's Ruby** and I had! Where jackals are very proud creatures and rarely show compassion, and he was an outcast because of how different he looked. They're super cool man_

 _Ah, time for an explaination before I start the responses to the reviews:_

Hivemind was supposed to update a while ago, but I didn't get to. the entire day was very hard for me to finish off the chapter.

Transformation was supposed to update yesterday, but the chapter I'm working on has a theme I don't agree with as it reminds me of personal stuff so it's taking me longer to write. Mask Off is getting so much love, and now there are two people working on this story, woop!

 _Alright, responses_

 **ohwo (guest)** : _Goodness goodness goodness!! Thank you so much for the compliment!! Usually, whenever I write, I play the characters as already knowing each other or already being friends. This is my first time introducing two charactrrs with a badpast and working them together into being friends, so I was very afrsid to post this. Getting such wonderful responses such as yours is so amazing! I don't think Shadow would be as much of a dick as normally written just for the sake of edge, I feel he'd still have some sort of heart buried beneath the grump haha. I also love Charmy! I often draw him, and he was one of my favourite characters along with Espio "" lol. About the Fanart? You made me explode with happiness right there!!!!! anyone who draws fanart is now the best person ever in my heart!! I'm always on Tumblr under the same username, so that's just about the only place I can see anything as my twitter is down aaaa_

 _ **Infinite's Ruby** : When I was writing the previous chapter, I totally didn't have the brain freeze part. I originally had him give his drink to Shadow as soon as he took a sip because of how cold it was and him still not enjoying the cold. I changed it to be a little lighthearted and show that Finn's accepting that not all cold is bad anymore. Obviously, some things still are. Also, Tails being part of the pack wasn't their, either! But i need this to be a good happy story aaaa_

 _Shout out to **AdmiralKirk** and **Bajy!**_

 _and with that, I leave~_


	23. chapter 23

Finn woke up with a terrible headache, smelling something both familiar yet metallic as he sat up. He was still in the lab, sat on an air mattress that wasn't all too comfortable and under a blanket Tails obviously owned from how much it smelled like oil, even though it was clearly washed. He instinctively looked around for Shadow and spotted him with Tails, the two whispering to each other while the hedgehog wore what looked like white ribbons around his wrists leading up his arms and more around his ankles and up his calves. His inhibitor rings sat next to him on the table.

Feeling a bit annoyed about having an attack after so long of nothing happening and wanting the day to be over with so he could start anew, he cleared his throat and stood up.

The two turned to him and Tails offered a small, hesitant, broken smile. "Hi, Finn! H-how's it going?"

The jackal's tail twitched and he looked to Shadow, who still had scars but wasn't too concerned about them and was taking the ribbons off. "Annoyed at myself. Why is he about to start dancing is my question?" he changed the subject, and Shadow rolled his eyes.

"I don't have them on right, excuse you. I'm not used to wearing bandages as I heal much too quickly for them." Shadow shot back, whipping Tails' new invention off much to the dismay of the kit. The agent only replaced his rings and fiddled with them until they fit snuggly.

"They're meant to work like his rings to stave off you using too much energy," Tails grumbled and picked them up, gesturing for the jackal to come over. Seeing as he didn't say anything else on what happened, he suspected and hoped the other dropped it. Finn was quick to follow his silent order. "They're versatile, water and fireproof, and look more like _bandages_ than ribbons or rings so no one suspects anything."

The jackal folded back an ear at the stress, but he could tell they looked more like ribbons than anything else. The surface looked worn and dusty, and felt so to his fingertips, but when he rolled the fabric in his hands he felt that the inside was somewhat different and had a sort of buzzing energy trapped inside. He took off his gloves and started to put one on, noticing how odd it made him feel.

"Am I supposed to remove them to attack anything?"

"No, unless you want to pass out in the middle of a battle." There went Shadow again, in apparently the most pissy mood imaginable. His tone went ignored, but his words heeded. Finn looked to the fox for an explanation.

"Oh, Shadow almost never uses full power, because then he'll need to take off his limiter rings! After it makes him really, really tired and most of the time he passes out for a few days. It's similar to Chaos Blast in that way." Tails jumped up on the counter as the hedgehog helped the jackal with the rest of the bandages, as it was clear he started to struggle.

Finn, however, stopped listening after 'Shadow almost never uses full power.' He was even stronger than he was _now_? Not too long ago he and Shadow sparred, and he thought he _did_ something! Sure both were tired, the jackal more than the hedgehog, but he had landed some good hits and even knocked him down a couple times, but Tails just said Shadow was _holding back_.

He _was_ weak, then. All this time, he thought he was getting better, getting stronger. He had thought maybe, in a few more days, he'd be able to beat Shadow. But no, the other was holding back. Was he not worthy of a fair fight, then?

"Finn," Shadow started, noticing the jackal's hands clenching tightly as he finished wrapping his other paw. "Are you okay? Are these hurting you?"

Finn said nothing as his hands began to glow and the bandages turned a hazy golden colour, but he did snarl and lower his head. Shadow stood up and motioned for Tails to back away and the kit did _not_ hesitate.

"You held back, all this time? When you first fought me, you held back? I was beaten without an attempt?"

"Don't start this now, that's just how I fight."

For the first time in a long time, he listened and relaxed. But, the thought still didn't leave his mind. The golden haze from his new equipment faded and he watched it carefully as the kit approached. When he was close enough, he spoke.

"Did you fight him?"

The kit blinked and frowned, turning to glance at Shadow just to see him shrug. "Me?"

"Yes, did you ever fight Shadow?" Finn repeated, finally looking up to meet Tails' eyes. He only looked away as he bagan to clean up his work area.

"Um, once? In space, after Shadow was doing some things that was justified but not reasonable, I tried to fight him. The first time he threw me off, the second time he threw me into a wall, and the third time I launched him into space. I never actually _won_." He frowned at the memory and Shadow turned away with crossed arms, remembering the 'fight' clearly.

It was about Cosmo, he knew. At the time he wasn't a very "Talk first, action later" type of guy.

"Aboard the ARK?"

The question left a stale taste in the air, and Shadow's shoulders tensed at how naïve the jackal was. " _No,_ " he huffed "Something else."

He didn't explain further, and Finn felt he struck a nerve and went to change the subject but Tails continued to speak.

"Nope! It was when we weren't friends and on top of a ship I made! We went to space a lot, and even different planets and made a lot of different friends." By this point, Shadow stormed up the stairs and left. Tails noticed and continued with a lower voice. "We weren't friends with Shadow for a long time, and ARK is a sour subject for him. It's where he lost his sister Maria and father Gerald Robotnik. It's also where we became friends long, long ago. Shadow has lost a lot of people..."

Finn felt his chest tighten with this new information; if his 'father' was a Robotnik, did that mean he was related to him? And who all did Shadow lose? and Why was he a villain in the first place? Why was he not friends with people he was so close to now? And about the planets, what was that all about?

A loud boom nearly shattered his eardrums and he slammed his hands over his ears to stop them from ringing, looking up for the source of the sound but only finding Tails standing stoically, not at all affected by the noise. His look of utter shock was all the words Tails needed before he laughed and responded.

"Shadow and Sonic are racing, that's all." He told once the jackal moved his hands, and Finn stood to rush up the stairs and to the front door to look out. He saw nothing but a cloud of dust, but, as he waved it away, in the distance a streak of blue and gold were neck-and-neck.

" _Racing?_ "

"You get used to it."

"Do you, now?" Based on Tails' lack of reaction, he bristled his tail and closed the door. He'd ask Shadow later, then.

"Do you have anymore ice cream?" He asked instead and tried to seem comfortable by sitting on the couch, but it face the opposite wall he was used to and was too soft. Plus, it had blue quills poking at his backside, but he tried to ignore it.

The kit raced into the kitchen with the help of his namesakes, chirping a quick 'sure!' without asking what kind he wanted. Finn watched him disappear around the corner.

He had many questions, and even more about Tails himself, and some about Sonic as well. He was so confused about everything. The day before came to mind, about his breakdown in front of him and Shadow all about not being as fast as Sonic and accidentally showing Silver and Knuckles his power. Sure, he only threw a box, but what other Jackal was that strong and had red energy?

He was handed a small bowl with brown ice cream inside and thanked the kit, looking at in slight confusion.

"It's chocolate!" Tails whispered, leaning close and wrapping an arm around his shoulders "Shh, Shadow would probably take it away and tell you to watch your weight if you don't eat it fast enough!" he pulled away and showed that he had a cone of the same thing, and Finn chuckled.

He was doing something that was against the rules? Perfect.

"Sonic always takes mine and says 'Tails, you had enough!', 'C'mon bro, too much ice cream would spoil your dinner!', 'Growing boys need veggies instead!' I'm fifteen now, I've been stopped growing!" He joked, tails wagging behind him as he enjoyed his treat. Finn laughed again.

The ice cream was wonderful. "You really love Sonic, don't you?" He asked. His voice was distant, and his head was ducked down to avoid eye contact.

"Yes, definitely! He's like a brother to me, hehe..." Tails' laugh was sad "I was kinda an orphan, no real parents or siblings, and Sonic was one too, so we're technically brothers."

"I'm sorry I took him away for so long."

Tails finally looked up, seeing the jackal crying. Silent tears slowly fell down his chin, but he made no noise. He folded back his ears and looked away. "That's okay, you weren't yourself back then. That was Infinite! P-plus, I was more upset when I thought he was dead, y-you know? But he's... when I found out he was alive, I was more than happy. I... I just... I'm fine, it's okay, Finn."

The jackal's shoulders jumped with suppressed hiccups as he tried to finish his ice cream, but it wasn't working. He simply dropped his spoon into the bowl and watched the treat melt. Tails was an orphan before Sonic came. He thought nothing about anyone else when he was commanded to destroy Sonic, he simply thought that was what he had to do, and did it. He tortured him for days and months on end without a second thought, without once caring about anyone, because what villain _cared_? Tails was nearly destroyed mentally and then physically just because he _thought_ he lost Sonic.

...What would happen if he lost Shadow?

"I'm sorry," he repeated, wiping the tears away and then pausing at the feeling of the bandages against his face, stopping to look at them. "I promise to never became Infinite again."

"Promise." Tails was standing right above him, holding out his hand and smiling.

Finn took it and they shook, and they lapsed into a calm silence as they finished up their ice cream.

Not so long after, Shadow and Sonic returned from their race, Sonic openly and loudly arguing about how he should have won had Shadow not kicked him during the last second. Shadow only softly countered with telling Sonic that he tackled him countless times during the race, so one kick was nothing. Sonic dismissed him though to run over to Tails and ruffle his fur, both of them giggling happily.

Shadow went to Finn and offered him a smile, and handshake, but the jackal took his hand and stood to wrap him in a tight hug instead. The agent awkwardly chuckled and pat his back just above his white stripes, knowing that he had to get used to the jackal's frequent hugs now.

xox

 _Yo yo, sup man? Ha. I don't have much to say! Hivemind and Transformation gets posted today (hopefully, internet is shite) I'm also on a new medicine that treats me like shit, yo, it's bad. anyway, onto the replies:_

 **Pink panda girl1126** _: Aww, thank you so much! I honestly had no clue I did so much detail, as I didn't actually read it while I was done, but reading it now I know what you mean. And Thank you for choosing this story to start on, it really means a lot to me!_

 **Bajy** _: Pfft thanks a bunch, the drink part wa_ _s what I was looking forward to while I was writing. And Finn's struggle with suddenly being shoved into a tank was something I thought of last second, as I totally forgot that was where he became Infinite ah. Can I just give you a shoutout for a sec? because you've been here since nearly day one for this story and haven't missed a single chapter yet, you're just awesome my g_ _irl_

 **Infinite's Ruby** _: Aah, thank you! Since that was last mi ute added in, I'm glad it still had such an effect hahaa. and Big same, man. i had to install something in my house not so long ago, struggled, and ended up giving up and taking a nap half way through. i was just sick of working at that point_

 **AbyssusTheDarkNightmare** Yo _thanks, but what do you mean? And Ye, Finn has PTSD_

 **ShadowLvr15** : Tbh best username ever _That means a ton to me that you reread this!!! truly, it does!! Because even_ _ **I** wouldn't reread anything I write, you're amazing! Thank you for showing that, and again for telling me you enjoy how the characters interract. I sometimes struggle with that, so your message is really encouraging._

 **Roundabout (Guest):** _Yeah you weren't the only one who thought this was going to be romance. *cough cough*... But, anyway, It isn't. Surprise surprise, I realize that friendship stories are very rare after being so far into this. Keep in mind, this message is for you, but isn't supposed to be threatening or angry in any sort of way; **This story will not have any sort of romance between any characters. There will be no romance between Shadow, Finn, Sonic, Tails, or anyone else mentioned in the story. Everything is strictly platonic.** My only exception is that maybe background characters/ocs may be couples but will not be outright said._

 _Alright, that's it for the responces! Also, a note: OCs will be mentioned, as I need them again for the next chapter. Message me if you want details, please, I need a total of 12. There is no deadline, as the next chapter needs lots of work._


	24. chapter 24

If Finn learned anything about Shadow, it was the fact that he was hard pressed in always having a plan for the day. True, sometimes something would get in the way or he'd be sidetracked, but he'd always finish what he meant to by the end of the day. It was something he somewhat envied about the other. Finn also had plans, just not any he could ever accomplish because they with either be unethical or too challanging to complete in a single day. Today, Shadow was going to talk go Rouge and Omega and find out more information about the robots that attacked them not too long ago, but, without trying to be rude, Finn wasn't in the mood to do that, so they went their seperate ways. He wanted to simply explore the Bunker today, especially because his other idea of tracking down the person he heard in the bushes long ago wasn't as easy as it sounded.

After training with Tails a bit longer, finding out that he could use a small amount of power for much longer than usual and that it took far too much time, strength, and energy to do something grand such as creating an illusion throughout the room, the jackal called it a day and went home to take a long, relaxing bath. Sure, it was an odd time of day to bathe, but why not? He sat, somewhat floating, soaking away dirt and sweat and grime from previous days of not washing.

Back when he had his squad, before the entire _Eggman_ thing, being a jackal still meant old habits die hard. Not washing for days on end, sometimes not going to the hideout or not leaving the hideout for days on end, going the extreme to stick out yet blend in. Scents were everything, so whoever had the strongest scent was naturally noticed. Sure, looks and pride came at the same time, too, but it was scents that they picked up on the most. During the time he was Infinite, he learned quickly what the scent of fear was. He often wondered if Shadow ever felt fear.

But, now, bathing felt like a five star luxury.

The hot water, the light bubbles, the stream that made you sweat and cleared your nose, using your claws to rake through that fur that hardened a while back into knots and finally scratch that _one_ itchy spot you could never quite get to, it was all bliss. Finn raked his fingers through his hair and undid the braid that had been there for a while, feeling the steam and hot water soak into it and lay it flat against the back of his head.

Then, the jackal closed his eyes and laid his head back against the tub's rim, breathing slowing down and deepening. He wasn't sleeping, he was just totally, completely relaxed for the first time in a while. But it had to end sooner or later, as the water started to get cold and the bubbles turned into white lily pads instead of fluffy clouds, and the clear-green herb infused water turned more murky, so he had to get out. Standing after soaking so long felt like his limbs has been replaced with logs, and he didn't attempt to lift his thick tail out of the iron-like grip of the bath but instead kicked the plug out the drain and waited.

When he was finally able to move the rest of his body, he started with his tail first just to pause and look at his hands. He hadn't taken those limiters off, and was hit with a bout of panic before realizing that they were just a tad damp but overall fine. Activating his powers made them glow as usual, too. He shook his head and palmed out as much water as he could.

Fluffy, bright eyed and bushy tailed, and armed with at least six cinnamon sticks he swiped from Shadow's drawer before he left, Finn wandered outside to let the rest of his fur dry by the sun than sit and wait. He wasn't walking for much longer than five minutes before grimly remembering that he was alone. He wasn't with his pack, and he wasn't with the leader of said pack. What if--

"Gah," He growled, shaking his head a bit frantically and throwing the idea out his head. He was fine! Sure, some extra protection would be great, but 'what ifs' lead to nothing but panic!

He chewed harshly on his second stick and trudged on, straight to the Bunker this time. As he was wandering, he'd say hi to Shadow and Tails.

Again, he was stopped at the door. The guards were different yet again, one being a panther that was apparently feral and snarling at anyone that got close and the other a solem weasel that stood straight with a spear to their hip. As soon as he stepped close, surprisingly, the weasel held the spear up to his neck in one swift motion, looking him up and down. He opened his mouth to say something, not afraid of her for some reason but she then lowered her spear and stepped aside, nodding for the jackal to enter.

"Thanks," he mumbled, passing by with an odd glance to the panther. She had sniffed at him while he was passing by, a bit pointedly, too. He was glad he bathed before passing else she'd probably comment on his smell. Still, she seemed odd, and he turned to glare at her as the doors were shutting. She was faced away but glancing at him over her shoulder, and as soon as they met eyes, she looked away once again.

Whatever he was feeling about her was tossed out the window, and anxiety hit him hard when he passed the second doors and was met with a crowd. It was everyone he knew or seen around, but that didn't mean he was happy about it. There was Silver, talking to Knuckles and Amy. Then there was Vector with a crying Charmy in a headlock while Espio blocked his ears with his hands. Vanilla sat with a small version of herself, he guessed that was Cream, drinking something he couldn't quite see. Sonic and Tails were playing chess in the corner, and it was weirdly noticed that Sonic had full knowledge of what he was doing and currently had the upper hand.

Everyone else, however, he didn't know. Strange mobians he never met, but they all seemed to be gathered for a reason. They were all waiting around for something, but he didn't really care what and moved on.

As he began to go to a door he hadn't seen before, he saw someone look at him from the corner of their eye. A green... bear, of some sorts? He thought nothing of it but was shoved hard, getting knocked back into someone else, a yellow skunk. Something splashed up against his side. People turned to look, Sonic and Tails even standing up, forgetting about their game, to glare at their general direction. The crowd was far too affixed to their spot to really care if they were in the way.

"Watch where the hell you're going!" The bear yelled, while the skunk helped him to his feet, pressing between his shoulders gently to steady him and whispering over and again that she was sorry and if he needed towels. Once he gathered himself, the jackal bared his teeth in an evil snarl to the bear, ignoring the skunk's babbling.

"Watch yourself, jackass. _You_ pushed _me_." He huffed, about to move on, when the bear glared and flipped him off. Finn was quick to return it and move on, passing through the door into an empty hall.

Finn slammed the door shut and pressed his back against it, sighing quietly and letting his legs fold as he crumpled to the floor. His mind reeled for a second, pissed but calculating. Everyone was in the crowd except Shadow, Omega, and Rouge. That sounded right, but what about Gadget? If there was going to be a meeting, wouldn't he show up? Unless it wasn't a meeting, but he really didn't know.

"Damn," he cursed, sucking in a breath as he pulled himself back up to carry on through the hall. He peeked in the doors with windows but mainly saw storage rooms. "I hate this place."

He saw the bathroom and stepped in, ignoring the prickle of his fur standing on end when the thought that he was alone crept back to the front. He growled and shook his head, knocking it back into submission as he wet a towel under the faucet. The water was scalding, and as he rubbed it against his soaked fur it stinged just a bit. Finn turned sideways in the mirror to see all of the fur that was laid down from whatever splashed against him.

As he started to finish up cleaning off the grape juice, the worst and most offensive thing to splash on a person, he notice a glint of a light coming from his back. The jackal whispered a confused sound to himself as he reached over his shoulder, but couldn't quite reach it. He tried again but across his back, yet again failing, then resorted to his tail where he knocked the damn thing off and hurried to fish it from his fur and stare at it.

"What the hell...?" he whispered, finding that it looked like a small microchip of sorts, but that's where his knowledge of computer parts ended and he closed his fist around it, leaving the bathroom without drying his fur so he could find Tails. Maybe He knew what it was.

After figuring the bear and skunk would probably still be around the door he left through, Finn took another route. It took him to a hall that was brightly lit and full of guards, so he quickly turned and ended up somewhere near the kitchen based on his nose alone. Past the kitchen was the weird Couch place, then the training ground, then the place he and Silver and Knuckles were packing food, and then the other training area he blew up somewhat, before _finally_ finding the other side of the main area.

Tails was sitting, still, with Sonic. However the blue hedgehog was standing up and dancing while the kit looked defeated and miffed about something.

"...Tails?" Finn asked, voice a bit low. Tails looked up with angry eyes just to quickly change expressions and jump up, hugging the surprised jackal.

"Finn! Hi, how are you holding up?" he beamed, and Finn folded back and ear and lamely returned the hug. "And are you okay? I saw what happened earlier."

"I'm fine," he then held out his fist, where Tails extended his own to catch what he gave him. "This was on my fur, what is it?"

Tails' face changed from happy to stern, turning to the still, _somehow_ , celebrating Sonic who now boasted about not actually knowing the rules of the game. He said something too low for the jackal to hear, and Sonic's demeanor changed as well as they quickly left the finished game and lead Finn outside the room.

The hall was empty.

xox

 _hey, I'm sorry, man. depression and procratination is a bad combination, so I stopped writing for a long time. I'm really, really sorry._

 _I've gotten three ocs in the time I was gone, and I realize that the chapter I need them for isn't that soon._

 _Regular uploading will start again, starting today, okay!_

 _No replies today, sorry! I'll double up next time._

 _Also, Ohwo, thank you! i appreciete you telling me in advance :)_


	25. chapter 25

Finn stood anxiously while Tails examined the small 'tracking chip', as he was told, and Sonic simply stood guard, looking through the empty halls on high alert. The kit had pulled them both aside and pulled a magnifying glass, why he was holding it in the first place the two didn't know, and was using it on the microchip. He held it close under his eye and mumbled quiet sayings to himself, nothing the two really bothered to listen to.

The hallway was surprisingly cold, probably because the main area was much warmer from all the activity, but the cold was sketchy.

"Why is everyone gathered in there?" Finn asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the kit. "There's gonna be an update on safety and management soon, but not everyone is here yet so it's a bit slow."

The jackal made an 'o' with his mouth and watched Tails work yet again, deciding not to ask why he wasn't invited. Truth be told, he didn't exactly know if he wanted to be in the resistance. Sure, Shadow and now Tails was in his pack, and both worked for the resistance, but...

Tails sighed and pulled the chip away from him, dropping it and crushing it under his heel. The crunch of the small fragments grinding under his foot was the only thing heard in the hall; the door to the other side muffling most sounds.

"Nothing; there's no way I can trace, it's just a plain tracking device. Where were you that you noticed this?" The kit asked, seeing the jackal getting ever more anxious with each passing second of pure silence.

"The restroom. After someone pushed me and someone else poured juice I me, I went to wash it off and that's when I saw it." He mentally debated telling them about the panther and how oddly she was acting, but quickly dismissed it as her just being weird.

"That skunk and bear, right?" Sonic cut in suddenly, and Finn simply nodded.

"Those two...? They've almost never caused a problem! They were helping us mostly during-- um, when..." Tails paused and gave Finn a sort of apologetic stare, and the jackal relaxed, waving him off. "When... Infinite... attacked, they were helping us around halfway through that and almost never caused a problem."

Sonic stopped looking around to set his hand on Tails' shoulder, and nodding his head to the door. "Still, Finn hasn't been here that long. There's no reason anyone would do this unless they knew, so it wouldn't hurt to check things out." He paused to open the door a crack, silently telling the kit to find them himself.

After a silent heated debate spoken only through eye contact and body language, Tails gave up and grumbled that he didn't like conflict and left, leaving Sonic and Finn alone together. Right away, awkwardness hung in the air.

The jackal immediately bit into his last cinnamon stick and turned away, trying to think of anything to say. Honestly, he and Sonic weren't exactly on the best of terms yet.

Sonic exhaled sharply, making Finn's tail bristle as he quickly turned to face him.

"I heard about what happened in Packaging." he started "Silver and Knuckles told me, they were really antsy about it and wanted to know if I knew anything about Finn."

The cinnamon stick was eaten by now, so he had nothing to occupy himself with and ended up staring at the ground, one hand reaching up and grabbing his limiter just to make sure it was there. "...and...?"

"And," Sonic forced "I told them that you had powers you didn't know how to control yet."

Relief was pure and crashed over the jackal like a wave, and he looked up to the hedgehog as he continued.

"As far as I know, Finn, we aren't friends. I'm afraid we won't exactly be friends for a while, but I know we can agree on a few things. One thing," he stood from his lean against the wall to extend his hand "Is that Infinite is dead in our books. Agreed?"

Finn held out his hand without hesitance and shook it, nodding pointedly as well "Agreed."

Finn had talked to Shadow before, when he didn't exactly remember, and found out that the hedgehog had destroyed every part of him that was 'Infinite'. The mask, the gloves, the shoes, everything. He had gone out of his way to search for his previous squad and made sure everything there had been wiped of his presence as well, the only thing remaining being his ruby sword now kept almost solely in the Bunker. He was a clean slate now, only known as Finn the Jackal.

Finn the Jackal, not Infinite. While he did have some remaining powers, it wasn't _him_ anymore, it was Finn. Infinite had ended.

They let go and Finn quickly spoke up, remembering one of the reasons he came here. The other reason, to look around, was a bit ruined as most of the doors were locked with combinations or keycards, and since he didn't want to swipe anything from anyone he simply gave up on the idea until Shadow was back. "Do you know where Shadow went? He said he would be with Rouge and Omega."

"Oh," Sonic rubbed the back of his neck and sucked in air through his teeth "Um, normally I _would,_ but, uh... I don't." he chuckled nervously.

"But, I _did_ see them leave! I doubt they left the Resistance's circle, so they can't be too far." he finished, and Finn sighed.

"The Resistance circle, known for stretching out in two miles in every direction?" He huffed, making Sonic shyly grin and nod as if that wasn't a ton of area to search. "Well, have you at least seen Gadget? I need to talk to him."

That made Sonic pause, his expression changing to confusion then wonder, before shaking his head gently. "No, not at all recently. He was here a few weeks ago, but no, I actually _haven_ _'t_ seen him." he looked distraught by this "I-- Last I saw him, he was here. He didn't even say anything about going back home again, he was just here, and now he's gone..."

There was no more time to mull over that matter before they were a loud crash and a yelp of Tails crying Sonic's name. The hedgehog sharply told Finn to wait behind as he dashed into the main area again, leaving Finn by his lonesome.

Since he had nothing better to do, The jackal turned on his heel and began to leave the building in search for Shadow. The hall was still empty and silent, putting him on edge, and he naturally sped up to leave. Everywhere else had too _many_ people, but now he was upset because there were _no_ people.

Then, there was a tap.

At first he thought it was nothing and wasn't going to turn around, but it was such a quiet tap that it was obvious that someone was trying not to make noise, so he turned to look behind him, standing sideways so he couldn't be ambushed.

It was the panther from earlier, one of the guards at the door. She was glaring and a bit crouched down, showing that she had just jumped down from somewhere and hadn't expected to be caught. She then stood up and grinned ear to ear, such an evil, sinister smile that Finn found himself shuddering at it. She held a staff with two pointed blades on the end, a black core of sorts hovering just between them. When Finn noticed it, she simply pointed it under his jaw, right against his neck. His body was frozen in place as what felt like hot fire broiled through the area the blade was tiuching, evwn though he wasn't even cut.

"Well, looks like you saw me," her voice was heavily accented, like somewhere or some place he heard before. Finn could see the shadow of someone else not too far away behind her, but he couldn't quite see who it was. "Get along now, lil doggy." Then, she was gone, as if she never stood there in the first place.

Just in case, as a sort of warning, Finn's energy flared up as his limiters glowed a deep, bright gold while he turned around to growl in every direction. "I'm not afraid of you!" he called out to no one in particular, then ran back to the door that lead to the main area. He didn't care that his heart was racing and he was absolutely scared out of his mind just then-- he had forgotten he even had powers until after the panther was gone!

He pushed past people without a glance back, shoving everyone either to the side or even flat out to the ground. He bumped into Amy a bit harshly but didn't apologize, simply glancing back at her, she was repectably glaring at him, before leaving the Bunker all together where he noticed the guards.

It was the same weasel as before, but now she was with a green cat he had seen a while ago. She flinched heavily as he stormed past he and he could have sworn she fainted into the weasel's unsuspecting arms when he turned away.

In his hurry to leave, he didn't notice the hedgehog in front of him and ultimately crashed directly into what felt like a brick wall but just turned out to be Shadow. He was covered head to toe in so many deep wounds and held the arm of a tall, skinny aardwolf, collapsed and being dragged. Rouge stumbled down to them, panting and quickly rubbing a sore wing just as Omega finally caught up, dingged with many dents but otherwise fine.

Finn swallowed thickly at Shadow's empty gaze, and the hedgehog shook in place, looking at Finn impassively.

"Hello, Finn." He spoke evenly. "How's your day been?"

"Better than yours..." Finn started, but before he could say anything else, Omega stood just behind Shadow as he too fainted, falling backwards right into his protector's arms. Rouge quickly took hold of the aardwolf just before he could get away, and Finn continued to stand, absolutely confused and unsure what to do.

xox

 _hi! last chapter for a bit until I catch up with my other crap, alrightie._

 _uh, since I didn't do replies last time, I guess I gotta double down, huh?_

 **Black Twilight Wolf:** _Thank you for your **19** reviews! haha_

 **AbyssusTheDarkNightmare** : _Hello, friend! i haven't heard from you in a while. I'll have your ocs in mind, okay? They sound very awesome!_

 **Infinite's Ruby:** _They sure have ;) and like honestly i freaking hate cinnamon man it's crap and i just make finn like it because he sucks man. Thank you, though!_

 **Bajy:** _Thanks, man. No hard feelings! I understand where you're coming from. Again, sorry for the wait! i shouldn't procrastinate so much_

 **Ohwo** : _I didn't respond properly last time, so I'll give it a go now. Thank you, man! I tried to go about this story in a different way, confronting issues and sticking with them until they're uncovered or solved. I really appreciate you telling me this, and that you've reread some parts, too! Tails and Finn suddenly becoming friends was on purpose, and was supposed to be a bit "woah what why" moment. It's a bit because Finn is touch starved, so to be hugged by someone geniunely wanting the best for him and not just doing it because they're forced to, he just didn't exactly want the hug to end just then. I based this off some of my breakdowns I've had in the past, where when I was calming down someone hugged me and I just couldn't bring myself to let them go. Them connecting later on was a better place to describe them! and Yes, Tails is showing up more, he's awesome! Boom!Infinite was so on the mind that I just **had** to add that in, man. it's honestly such a stupid thing to see and I love it. Aah, enough of that part! For the art update, That's fine! take as much time as you need, the fact that you're drawing something is wonderful enough and I just cant thank you enough!_

 **Infinite's Ruby** (again) _Thanks, I took a gamble with this story and I'm glad it worked. I also went on here and ao3 and almost no story explains anything about him or touches on anything...? confusing, honestly. and, almost zero friendship fics! what's going on! Plus Shadow and Finn are brothers from another mother/alien race overlord now :3c_

I think that's all! I would also like to shout out **Infinite Ruby** , they have a wonderful story called " _Broken Friendship"_ and it's about How Infinite and Gadget met as children and their forming friendship (so far). I really love it, and I love the discriptions and interractions between the characters! It has four chapters now, and it's already a great read! I highly recommend it.


	26. chapter 26

Sitting over Shadow as he healed was a new and strange experience for Finn.

For one, he was not alone. Rouge was in the infirmary earlier with a sprained wing and bruised ribs, but she left for Shadow's house to rest and wait up for him there. Omega, despite Tails' pleading, stayed with Shadow instead of going to the kit's workshop. So currently, Finn was sitting next to Shadow as Omega meticulously and carefully pet his head, similar to a cat. The jackal knew for a fact that had Shadow been awake, he would have told him to stop.

Then, the most disturbing thing happened; one of the open wounds (which Finn questioned Cream on why she did not wrap or bandage any to which she replied that it was uncalled for) began to almost stitch itself close. The skin drew and sealed together within seconds, leaving behind a faint scar of where the wound used to lay.

"Doesn't that hurt...?" He whispered, mainly to himself. When Omega's hand pause in it's motions, he folded back his ears and looked up, forgetting that the robot was sentient.

"Compared to getting stabbed, healing is equivalent to getting pinched." he answered, then continued petting Shadow.

Finn only nodded, staring at his lap now. Well then. "What happened back there?"

Omega then started to retell all that happened.

Rouge had flown ahead, high above the other two as they now lagged heavily behind. She only scoffed at them as they disappeared under the thick, green foliage before she rose just a bit higher to scan the area. Trees were still surrounding her, meaning she wasn't totally in the open, but it also meant she had to dodge occasionally and that the rest of her team was obscured from view. So far, she had seen nothing. Other than the stray mobian chasing down a pet, burying something, or working on replanting some of the woods that had been burned down, there was nothing. As she stalled into a glide, her nose caught the scent of smoke and she looked around only to see a sugar glider right next to her. She smirked, leaped from the tree she was perched on, and tackled the bat to the ground, covering her mouth.

Shadow, having been bored at this point from finding nothing, sat on Omega's shoulder and reclined while the robot attempted to pass the time by telling jokes. However, his jokes were more like statements than anything, and only seemed to make time stretch out longer.

"Knock knock." he droned, and Shadow sighed.

"Who's there?"

"Omega."

"Omega who?"

"Omega E-123. Who else?"

The hedgehog openly groaned and dragged his palm down his face, debating dropping his guard enough to fall asleep so he could be woken up whenever this fruitless search was over. Nearly as soon as he thought that, His ear flicked at a faint sound. Shadow sat up, the motion of being rocked from the robot's gait far from his mind. He had heard something in the bushes, like a thud or something similar, and jumped off the robot to investigate.

Up close, he heard and saw nothing. The thick leaves and gnarly, thorned branches were hard to part, but there was nothing behind them. Not even any fur was snagged off anywhere.

"Shadow?"

"Coming," he called, turning to walk back to the robot but keeping his eye on the bush. "Is Rouge still up ahead?"

The robot stalled by the time Shadow caught up to him, so in a bit of annoyed confusion, he kicked Omega's shin a few times and even knocked on his hull. When he didn't respond was when Shadow began to panic.

Omega's story stopped there, and Finn huffed.

"That's all? That's not telling me anything!" he growled. Omega simply started scratching under Shadow's chin as if he were a mere kitten.

"I went out of commission. What Rouge told me, and what I saw for myself, was all I can relay. You will have to ask Shadow himself for the rest of it." With that, he stood and left, leaving the jackal alone with Shadow.

"You know, you don't seem so tough when you're being pet." he set his chin in his palm and closed his eyes. "You look like a lost puppy that way."

"I know; I don't have the heart to make him stop." Finn flinched at the other speaking and quickly looked down at him. The hedgehog was staring at him, arms crossed over his chest and all his wounds healed. Other than the now dry blood crusting over his fur, he looked totally fine.

"How long were you awake?"

"Ever since Omega started speaking." Shadow sat up, groaning similar to and old man as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Where's that aardwolf?"

Finn folded back his ears and stood, stepping to the side to help Shadow stand properly. It reminded him of when he was first taken under Shadow's wing, the other helping him stand nearly every day until he could do it on his own. "Sonic and Knuckles took him away somewhere."

"I see." He paused to wipe some of the crusted blood off and onto the floor, where is Cream saw it she would throw a fit. He hurried to leave with the jackal in his tail.

They lapsed into silence as they went to take the usual route out of the Bunker because there was a difference in the air. People seemed tense, Tails was nowhere to be found, and everyone was bustling through the halls as if they needed to be everywhere but where they were. What was strange was that there was nothing going on today; Yes, there was a meeting, one Shadow admitted that he wasn't going to attend, but it was over by now. No one was even carrying anything of much importance for trade or supplies, leading to even more confusion. It simply seemed like everyone was storing personal items and setting up supplies in bulk...

Wanting answers, Shadow stopped and grabbed the arm of an orange and white bird. He squawked in short alarm, both dropping what he was holding and making the green cat he was with hold out their arm in slight protection. "What's going on?"

The bird trembled under his stare "Um," he stuttered, shrugging off his hold "I gotta..." Then, the cat and bird scrambled to grab their belongings again and sprint off, leaving Shadow with more questions than what he started with.

"Let me try," Finn whispered to him, trying his hardest to both not laugh and focus at the same time. Shadow only huffed and crossed his arms, done with conversing with people for the day, and watched Finn clear his throat as if he was about to perform a feat of magic.

The jackal dusted off his palm and reached out, grabbing the hand of an elk. "Excuse m--"

He didn't get to finish before the world spiraled out of control, making him grow worried and dizzied. The elk snatched his hand away only to look at the jackal in passing concern.

Finn had collapsed, Shadow right by his side, and the Elk standing above them. His mind was swimming and heart aching at the glimpse of thoughts he caught from the other's mind, so brief and muddled that he couldn't make it out at first, but as the seconds passed it became more clear.

"I am truly sorry, I must have electrocute you. I normally carry lightning wispon so I am used to the shock," The elk spoke with a heavy russian accent, reaching up to his antlers to scratch just under them and look away. "I wish you the best of luck, comrades." then, he hurried off in the direction he had started in.

Finn said nothing as he stood, leaving through the bustle of the crowd and dragging Shadow with him. The hedgehog said nothing, simply staring and waiting for the jackal to speak first on what could have possibly happened back there. Seconds turned to minutes of silence before they finally stood in their shared home, where Finn turned on his heel and grabbed the television remote.

"After all that, you go and watch TV--?"

"Shhh."

He turned up the volume, the channel switching over to the news where a vixen sat, a stack of papers in hand.

"...--gain, Infinite the Jackal has been spotted in Green Hill Zone. After months of being dormant, he is up again. We are unsure of his motives, but we are sure he is hellbent on revenge. We have footage of his recent destruction on a recovered clinic, luckily abandoned just before he struck." A video began to play where a figure stood on top of a pile of rubble. As the smoke and ash faded, it revealed a jackal wearing a mask, turned away and striking a pose just before shoving his sword into the pile. The red blade shattered into pieces, then the camera shifted, and Infinite spung around, glaring towards the camera before barking 'Show yourself!'

"Eyewitnesses say he is unhinged and wears his hair up now instead of down. If you see this jackal anywhere, contact authorities or the official Sonic Underground Resistance Facility, SURF. This message will repeat hourly on the hour until he is either turned over or danger levels--"

The television was reduced to a glitchy blue, white, and orange as the screen struggled to stay active. The sound was still fine, but as the picture bleed and the crack in the tv fell away to the floor below, Shadow pulled his fist away from the glass and slowly turned to the jackal.

"What is ...this." It seemed more like a statement than anything.

"Does it honestly seem like I know?" Finn shot back "I don't know anything about this. When you left to get my sword that time, yesterday or so, I was practicing alone before I heard a sound behind me. I didn't know I was being recorded, and I sure as hell wasn't practicing around any _building_."

Shadow only shook his head. "I'm not blaming you. You're not Infinite; you don't have the clothes, you don't have the mask, and you don't have the ruby. I just want to to know... what to do." he sighed, looking up to make eye contact. "This isn't you. Infinite is dead. What do we do, this is already causing panic, and if we do nothing it could only get worse."

It touched his heart a bit to hear Shadow so concerned, so adamant in confirming that Infinite was dead to the world. It brought up so many questions, one being 'how could anyone believe this?' and another being 'Why would anyone make this?'. All of the rubies were destroyed. They had to be. Why would Infinite suddenly spring up after being dormant so long? And why now, why would anyone make such fake footage now? What could be gained from his capture?

"I could turn myself in." he started, but Shadow cut him off.

"No. I won't allow it."

"Then what do _you_ suggest? Staying home all the time so no one can record me? Releasing a mass apology letter-- 'Hello dear citizens of the Resistance, I am Finnigan, formally known as Infinite. That is not me in the video, goodnight.'?" He fumed, then growled when he saw Shadow wasn't looking at him or even paying attention. He snapped his head to whatever he could be possibly be looking at, then froze when he saw Rouge standing, leaning against the wall near the stairs.

"Might I suggest something?" She purred, earning mixed signals from the men. "Maybe you should find out who's the snitch first, _then_ you can get stuff done."

"And how exactly would we do that?" Shadow asked, and the bat shrugged, not having a real answer.

"I sorta thought you'd handle that part, handsome."

The three were exhausted. They quietly discussed that they would bring the topic back up in the morning, and settled down for the night. Shadow openly refused to let Rouge stay in his room, as he feared she'd snoop around in his belongings, but after she told him that it was okay that he still slept with a night light, he begrudgingly gave up and let her claim his bed for the night. Finn stayed downstairs, silently hoping Shadow would sleep in his normal spot on the adjacent chair. He didn't want to sleep on his own.

Shadow silently agreed, as well. He made another cup of sweet, warm milk, only one for the jackal as he learned his lesson, then sag in his chair and curled up for the night, the sound of the broken television and the embers of the dying fire whisking them both off to sleep. Finn found himself hugging his tail as he slept. He was afraid.

As the sun just began to set, the doctor sat at his desk and overlooked the group kneeling before him. Not of their own accord, no. The three jackals were handcuffed and laid out, the only one allowed some sort of rest being the female with a prosthetic leg, however she was still tied in place. As the darkness quickly became washed away by the bright fluorescent lights of the building, he smirked and laughed deeply and quietly to himself. Acquiring the jackals wasn't such an easy task, but oh did he love the outcome.

The jackal society didn't live in such an easy-to-access area. The lands around it was thick and arid, barren of much life other than heavy trees and wildlife. Past the desert of harsh winds, there it laid, surrounded by a circle of trees yet looking more different and modern than expected. It was like someone suddenly planted a different land there, and the desert ended by nearly a fine line before the ground was replaced by lush grasses and paved roads.

The society was large, to put it bluntly, but it was similar to a village where everyone looked the same and knew each other. Houses were normal brick and wood, other than the huts medicine men lived in and the streets which were lined with daily markets. Everyone was dressed professionally, scarves and bandanas well worn along with shorts and dresses instead of skirts. Sneaking in wasn't an option, as everyone there was a dog of sorts. So, of course, they had to send in someone that looked like them!

Such began the uneasy task of a very unlucky aardwolf.

 _xox_

 _yo, it's my birthday ayy. March 13th for the win haha_

(also when I said regularly last chapter, I totally forgot that my birthday was coming up and I'm usually not active during March!)

 _for the ocs mentioned in the chapter: this isn't the only time they will show up. It's totally my fault, because I forgot to contact y'all for more information._

 **For the new guest that's just found my story:** _Thank you so much for the reviews! you're reactions are priceless, ahah. And don't worry, the skunk will be fleshed out sooner or later ;)_

 **Bajy:** _Girl me too, I just wanna hug the lil guy. But, he shall have the baddest of times._

 **AbyssusTheDarkNightmare:** _Oh boy, um, While that is a **stell** **ar** idea, and I really love your creativity there, when it is written as a review it's actually very difficult for me to read! But, anyway, I love what you have so far. Are you going to make it into a story?_

 **Infinite's Ruby** _: Yo yo cinnamon actually doesn't get mentioned again for a while aah and Gadget comes tomorrow ;)_

As this is getting posted, Transformation will be getten written! Requests are closed for the time being.

(About Hivemind, I'm so sorry, but I've lost the effort for it.)


	27. Chapter 27

Tired? That wasn't in his vocabulary anymore. Neither was exhaustion, sleep, rest, or starvation let's just put that out there. Days of working on end mixed with no sleep, no food, and barely any water was putting a toll on the poor wolf. He was told that his video editing skills was top notch, so what was his reward? Making more weapons. The bright screen was burning holes in his eyes yet whenever his finger hovered over the button to dim the screen he was guaranteed a mouthful of keyboard, claiming that they needed the screen at 100% brightness to make sure he knew his tasks.

When they found out that he was virtually useless, both because of his muteness and his lack of information on where Finn _actually_ was other than "at the resistance", Gadget was put under close watch and thrust into working constantly. The very same spears he created were being used against him, one constantly pointed to his neck every time he even _looked_ away from his desk. Gadget could have told them where exactly Finn now lived, but he wasn't that cruel, and it would affect both the jackal _and_ Shadow.

He hesitated only long enough to glance at the still bright screen to see the time, now tasked with making a switchblade. Then, his hair was gripped and pulled, and he was sure a plug was ripped out.

He was supplied with a laptop and near endless supplies to make more and more weapons; smaller and more compact, bigger and stronger, no matter what he could never win and was told to make more.

He didn't even know why the laptop was still open. They gave him a written list every day, and other than that one video he made (he was still getting pieces of audio and video though he doubted he needed to make another), it was useless. With the room only being illuminated by a red light above, the start, bright blue was too much.

Water was all he was given. The first day he was they they fed him about two sandwiches, which were alright in his tastes, a bit dry though, but suddenly thrust into work with nothing else but a water fountain. During the first week, after the initial 'god am I starving' phase, he thought he could handle it! His stomach never hurt, his kidneys were cleaner than ever, it was fine. Then, he grew hungry again, and realized that food was 90% of his diet. When his ribs began to show, he grew worried, but seemingly The Ram didn't.

The name of the... _savages,_ as he would call them, was simply named after the leader. No one had a real name here, it was titles, such as "The red Wolf" "The Panther", "The Squirrel", "The Skunk", et ect. Names were never shared in case of someone being a traitor or whatnot, but whatever. He didn't care. He stopped caring.

Gadget tried to make friends with at least one of the members there, so he'd have a chance of escape, but there wasn't. No one accepted him. No one here even knew sign language, so that idea was nipped before it could even start. No one here cared about him, he could tell. None covered their faces, all of them talked opening about what they were planning and when.

Finn had power still, and The Ram wanted that power to rule over the resistance. They talked about how Eggman was an idiot and what not, and how the rubies were an endless supply (though he knew they only used a chaos emerald and _claimed_ it was a ruby, in which he was told to use the negative energy from it) and how they could easily rule the world. It was all trash, and it wasn't work it. Didn't they see what happening during those six months? Was that really their plan?

There was a chime of a sad bell and Gadget stood for another of his three water breaks, eyeing the new guard member standing next to him. The panther was gone, and had been so for at least two days now. She was replaced with a grey rabbit, but he didn't ask questions. Instead, he stared at the slate ground as he dragged his bare feet to the side of his room.

He bent sharply at the water fountain and drank deeply, trying to stave off his endless hunger. It didn't ever work, but this time his hands shook as he gripped the cold metal. The rabbit stared him down as the water now splashed on the wolf's muzzle and dribbled back down the drain, not one bit of it being consumed.

"You better drink while you can," he started, his accent deep with something the wolf didn't know. "This is your last for the day, and we still need fifty more spears."

Gadget would have reacted if he could, but then his knees buckled and gravity came crashing down like a ton of bricks. His chin collided with the metal of the fountain and his teeth clacked together, biting his tongue nearly in half as he slumped to the ground. Blood dripped from his parted lips as the Rabbit grabbed him around his caved in waist and lifted the scrawny, lightweight wolf to the nearest member or higher rank than him.

It was a flying squirrel, and she glared at both him and the lifeless wolf he held. "What is that?"

Gadget's blood dripped to the ground during a pause, and the rabbit frowned. "Think he died. What do I do with him?"

"Toss him out the back, along with his stupid things, we don't need them." She turned up her nose and waved her long nails at him. "Clean up after him, too. I don't want to mess up my new shoes with his smelly blood."

"Yes, miss Squirrel."

"It's Miss Glider to you." She turned away and waved again, this time pinching her nose and gagging with disgust. "All that time you spent with him, both of you smell terrible."

The Rabbit turned and left without properly addressing her, mumbling "bitch" under his breath as he dragged the wolf over to his small tote bag they stuffed with his things. A strap, a useless wispon, his gloves and shoes, his headset, his bookbag, everything useless, just like the heap it came from. He drapped it over his shoulder and humped out of the building through the back, taking at least twenty feet away from the facility and into the woods.

"Goodbye, you waste of flesh. At least you knew how to keep silent." He said, dumping Gadget's body and bag in the dense shrubbery. He hovered nearly and inch off the ground from the strong branches, and the bag balanced gently on his lap. "Now you'll be compost." and left.

Minutes passed. The bleeping slowed to a stop, and Gadget coughed up coagulated blood that filled his throat. He tried to turn over and end up on his side in a thorn bush, breathing still shallow and body nearly given up. He reached up to the bag tangled just above him and unzipped it, one of his shoes falling forth from it and falling onto his head. The action, though funny in his eyes, didn't even seem so as he fished his headset from the confines of the bag.

He hoped, nearly prayed to the stars above that someone was wearing a headset back at the Resistance. He turned off "mute/offline" and placed it over his head, snuggly against his ear, and ran his fingers over the mic.

At the Bunker, Amy leaned against her elbow, humming boredly to herself as she stared at the large screen in front of her. It was a map of the resistance, plus a little bit of everything. She watched the world spin, centimeters every few minutes at a time, waiting for her shift to be over so someone else could swap out.

Then, there was a harsh scratching in her ear and she nearly ripped the headset off, thinking bugs had gotten inside and were scraping at her eardrum. When she saw that, no, no bugs were hosting themselves in her ear canal, she put the thing back on and lowered the volume. A blip appeared on the screen, very far from the resistance but just barely in view.

"Who's that? Do you copy?" She spoke, and then the scratching paused and she heard a rather weak groan. Whoever it was was either in pain, or... "Do you need help?"

Silence. "Can you speak?"

Silence again. Maybe it was nothing? Then again, there _was_ someone they knew that couldn't speak. "Can you... _Not_ speak?"

Scratching again. She turned the volume down a tad more. "Gadget?"

More scratching, louder than before. Amy didn't bother with the volume. "Hey, Gadget! We haven't heard from you in a while. Are you okay? It's very late."

Silence, then another groan. "You're in trouble, then, hm?" scratches. They needed a better communication system for situations like this. She started to call Sonic. "I'm getting Sonic for you, okay? Do you think you can hold up for a little longer?"

Silence again, and she started realizing that meant "no". "So, you're in trouble, you're very far, and you don't think you can hold up long enough for Sonic." The blue hedgehog was already up and running, after leaving her a voicemail she was sure contained yelling. "Are you hurt?"

'no'

"Are you sick?"

'yes'

"Are y... are you dying?"

Silence again, but this time she didn't think it meant 'no'. "Alright, Gadget. Please stay awake, Sonic is coming as fast as he can," Amy's fingers shook as she sent a distress signal out for the second fastest person in their team. Sonic was quickly notified, too, and his blip moved faster on the map. Shadow soon began to move. "I got Shadow coming, too. Please, Gadget, just keep scratching."

xox

 _A bit of not-really-filler filler._

 _ayy lmao_

 _sup my guys_

 _i don't have much to say? other than "wow this story is still popular"_

 _replies:_

 **Larry TFVW:** _Thanks! I will!_

 **AbyssusTheDarkNightmare:** ;) _yeah, I'd love to read it sometime! and That was 'Infinite', haha. The one recording him all those days ago acting like an idiot while waiting for Shadow was Gadget!_

 **The Chuckinator** _: I don't like explaining things that are later addressed, but I feel I should, as you're not the only one with concerns. Shadow heals himself with positive chaos energy. He's unable to heal others, just himself. It uses a ton of energy just like literally every media in which he's seen healing himself (ie many older games and some comics). refrencing something else, in Sonic X when Shadow is in critical health, he's seen using a tank that's powered by Chaos energy. He's always carrying an emerald, but he can only use this in a very strinuous length of time. If Shadow was too heavily damaged to heal in time, yes, he would die._

 **Infinite's Ruby** _: Yep! the Squad is back in town, baby!_

 **Blaze of Sol** _: oh my god, you have? Thank you so much! Shout out to Blaze of Sol for staying from the very begining! You rock!!_

 **Guest** : _The culprit is revealed! Gadget did all the video editing ;P. tbh i made the buildup suck ass, I didn't know to mention "weird how x isn't here" without flat out saying it. Thank you a lot for your words! And yes, yes he did._

 _Done! Thank you all for the birthday wishes, too! i had so much fun, and I even have new skates!_


	28. chapter 28

Shadow and Finn had still been downstairs at the time, the jackal claiming he couldn't sleep because he felt worried about something, and Shadow trying his damnest to put him to sleep so he wouldn't have to hear about it come morning. Finn didn't even know why he was worried; Sure, the video from earlier scared him, but he was able to sleep. It was a difficult sleep, if nightmares he refused to acknowledge by now, but it was sleep nonetheless.

He woke up with a grumble and looked across the room over to Shadow, just having a pit of worry in his stomach. He silently thanked having the other downstairs with him, as it brought some calm, but still... Rouge, someone he still didn't trust 100% and not having his own room to sleep in just made his panic rise.

When Shadow jolted awake with a quiet grunt, about to repremand the jackal for still not falling asleep after both a story from aboard the ARK _and_ some warm milk, but the other was just as confused as he was. Finn was still on the couch, looking at him with drowsy, concerned eyes as his communicator burned red and an alarm went off. Shadow looked down to it and turned off the alarm, reading the short, automated message, where "GADGET" was inserted before and after the message.

"Gadget's in trouble," he said swiftly, standing and shoving on his shoes. "Stay here and wake up Rouge if you need help."

Finn opened his mouth, but Shadow was long gone before he could say anything. He was knocked onto his back from the blast, leaving probably half of the people nearest to them to wake up a bit confused and very cranky. As expected, Rouge was downstairs a few seconds later, simply looking at Finn with a bit of a frown.

"Do I... Should I ask?"

"Apparently Gadget needs help." He answered. They stayed in silence for about another minute before Rouge openly yawned and claimed that she was going back to bed. Neither really said anything else to each other.

Finn simply nodded and watched her leave, later rolling his eyes and laying back down. He was finally getting back to sleep, and he didn't want to wake up right now. Sure, he cared for the wolf and hoped he was alright and would get here safely, but he was also tired. He had been awake almost all night and it was nearing 4 AM. It got to the point where his solution to the stupid video was to kill whoever made it, and both he and an equally exhausted Shaskw decided on that until they had a better plan.

Finn rolled onto his side, curling his curl around himself so he could hug it and lull himself to sleep.

On the run, Shadow almost quite literally ran into Sonic. They were halfway across the resistance, sailing at an incredible sprint while Amy kept them up to date on Gadget's status. He wasn't doing well, at all. She kept switching lines to tell them that his scratching was getting weaker, and when he was finally able to get his commuicator up and running, he only sent half of a word. All communications to him suddenly cut short.

Fearing the worst, Sonic and Shadow looked at each other and poured all of their strength into their legs. Colours around them spread thinly into a mute grey, and the ground passed silently beneath their feet. Then, the communications came back online to a faint scratch sound.

The two slowed to a stop, Sonic's shooes skidding across the dry dirt while Shadow turned sideways, bending just so he could drag himself to a stop instead as they neared what seemed to be a base. Curiousity was almost quick to win out for them to explore, but a wheezing hiss brought them back to reality*. Sonic quickly looked around the brush while Shadow stood guard.

What was this? And why was it so far out, surrounded by nothing, and why did it seem so familiar? Maybe he passed it while on a run someday? Unlikely, with Finn around he found himself staying home more than he used to. His house was rarely used other than for sleeping and eating until the jackal came along. Then what was this structure? It was dark, but he could see it relatively well. It seemed like the back, or maybe the side, but it also looked like something was build on top of a pre-existing structure, or at least used the same parts of it.

It took him a second to realize Sonic had wandered a bit further from his current line of site and followed him a bit, keeping a good distance so if he was ambushed he'd be able to help, but close enough to be able to see him in such darkness.

Shadow was going to walk a few paces closer, but when he heard a very out of place sound in the near silence other than the normal, if not quite, wildlife, he froze.

It was sniffing.

Not just sniffling, but more of someone trying to scent him. He didn't get to turn before a hand was placed over his mouth and nose and he was pulled back into a fluffy body as a knife was pressed to his throat. He was about to nreak out of their weak hold, but when the blade made contact with his skin, his brain went haywire. It burned, and he jerked, thrashing his head around and splaying out his quills at the sudden, extreme pain. Not even a second into his thrashing, the person jerked, yelped, and dropped him in the same minute he was about to be kidnapped.

He turned just as the person snarled a warning and stabbed, piercing through flesh as they ran away, leaving Shadow hunched over and yanking the burning blade from the middle of his hand. Shadow rocked back and forth, shaking like a leaf and squeezing what life remained out of his non-responsive hand. Sonic chose just then to call out that he found Gadget.

The agent stood, picking up the knife after a second of thought, and hurried after the blue blur's voice.

Gadget was worse for wares, but very much alive. He looked up to the two with adoring eyes and a wagging tail, a bright smile on his muzzle despite his caved in features. Sonic had hacked away the bushed with his quills, it seemed, as he was now sporting the hip new fashion trend of "twig hair".

"Did they not feed you?" Shadow whispered, kneeling to pick up the wolf. When he noticed his hand, he frowned and his tail stopped wagging. Shadow went to ignore that, but Sonic noticed his hand as well and merely sighed.

"Don't worry about that right now. First, we gotta get you back to base. How did you even get this far out?" he joked, helping the wolf to his feet before carrying him up on his back. "Shads, take his bag."

Shadow stopped himself from rolling his eyes as he heafted the bag over his shoulder, picking up the lone shoe that had fallen out to replace it. As he did, he stared down at his hand. It hadn't healed yet, normally it's be a scar by now, but thr glove was steadily being stained by his dark blood and the wound still hurt. He dismissed it to finish what he was doing and dash off back to base, Sonic in tow.

As they were leaving, it finally dawned on him what exactly that base was. It was the previous Jackal Squad base. It didn't look like it used to, and he doubted the jackals would live in that heap of metal. Too technical for them. So where were they? He hoped they were alright, he grew quite fond of them.

When they got back, Sonic carted him off to the Bunker, leaving Shadow to simply head back home to enjoy whatever was left of his night. It took them around an hour to get there and back, and with the sun already beginning to peek in the sky, Shadow dragged his feet back to his house and collapsed on his chair.

Laid back, propped up, and falling into a troubled sleep.

Finn woke up to the sound of the door closing and then the smell of blood, a scent he never wanted to smell again. He traced it back to Shadow, but figured it would be a question best left for the morning and laid his head back down to rest.

xox

 _fuck my ass this is short and I'm sorry and also no replies today, will double tomorrow. also multiple spelling mistakes._

Uhp, there goes gravity. mom's spaghetti.


	29. chapter 29

The morning came with a cool breeze, the sound of flapping wings, and feminine grunting. Of course, Finn sat up with a look of pure bewilderment, only to realize nothing special was happening and didn't deserve such a reaction. Rouge was holding Shadow around his shoulders, dragging (or at least attempting to drag) him backwards towards the door, all whilst flapping her wings with a blazing fury. She stopped to pant heavily, opening her eyes and sagging over with effort. When she spotted the jackal staring at her, she frowned.

"Are you going to help me or what?" Rouge huffed, shrugging and tilting her head towards the hedgehog.

Finn blinked a bit, staring blankly, then stood up with a long stretch and yawn. When he finist, he pointed towards the kitchen lamely. "Breakfast first?"

Rouge opened her mouth to argue or retort, then sighed and let go, letting the hedgehog slump to the ground in a heap. "Fine, fine. Hit me up with whatever fruit ya got, barkeep."

The jackal wasn't exactly sure what 'barkeep' meant, but nodded as he lead Rouge into the kitchen. Fruit was the easiest thing possible, one of the few things he whipped up for his squad whenever they had a late night and needed a pick me up. As he slid the slightly-larger-than-she-expected bowl towards her, he settled on reheating last night's late dinner of pizza just so he wouldn't have to cook.

"So," Rouge started "What's your story? I wasn't very in the loop when your whole thing kinda," she held up a grape between her fingertips, spinning it around in a circle a few times before placing it on the table and squishing it under her nail "Went down."

The jackal narrowed his eyes at the mess. Well, he narrowed his eyes at her too, but he knew he'd have to clean that up later on.

"Are you really asking me to start from the beginning?"

"No," she grinned "I just want to hear you talk. So, humor a cute little bat like me, please?"

He wasn't sure if it was the weird smell of reheated pizza or the bat fluttering her eyes at him made him clam up, but he swallowed down the odd emotion and turned to the microwave to take out the still-not-warm-pizza and eat it half cold.

When Rouge saw him, she burst into a giggling fit. "Aww, can't take a little flirting--?"

"WellI'mdonelet'smoveShadownow!" It all came out as almost one word, muffled by him stuffing soggy crust into his maw as he rushed into the living room, almost tripping over his feet in the process of shoving on his shoes and trying to grab Shadow at the same time.

Rouge flew in silently, smirking as she floated down near Shadow's shoulders. Her face fell into more of a look of concern as she picked up his hand, the middle of his glove stained red from one aide to the other. In curiousity, she pulled at the fabric to see that the wound had yet to heal, but was not bleeding. When Finn looked her just to quickly avoid eye contact again, she let the hedgehog's hand go and went back to lifting him up by his shoulders.

"Come on, mr. woofers, show me what you're working with!"

Finn nodded quickly and grabbed Shadow's ankles, and lifting with all of his might. His torso barely left the ground and he found himself folding back his ears, leaning forward heavily and trying not to start panting from effort. The 'mr. woofers' comment went sailing right over his head. "Why didn't you wake him up?"

"Do you honestly think anyone would be able to touch him if he was sleeping?" she joked, her teal eyes turning to the knocked out hedgehog "He's passed out. He doesn't do it often, only when he exerts himself or uses too much energy."

Finn stared down at Shadow, too, the agent's chest barely, shallowly rising and falling. The jackal's bands glowed a deep golden haze and then the other was lifted. "Where are you taking him?"

"His garden, he wakes up faster in there." The bat was a bit too distracted by the other's little light show and didn't move for a bit, then quickly realized that Shadow was still out of it and lead them out the door. "I thought you didn't have powers anymore..."

"I never said that." he whispered, but didn't explain further.

Rouge tried to get him to talk, but he was quick to dismiss anything she had to say and simply help her drag Shadow into whatever Garden there was. She lead them around the side, towards the back, and there sat a large green house, one he had never noticed before. Maybe he just didn't explore enough? Maybe Shadow never wanted to let him know it existed? The door opened when they drew close and they entered, the deep musk of the earth, plants, flowers, and fertilizer flooding his senses right away. Leaves and vines dangled down from the hanging plants above, stems sprouted thickly from the plants below, and flowers bloomed proudly in the gentle light. Who knew Shadow was so into plants?

He didn't have time to question it before Rouge roughly dropped Shadow, causing him to fall down with him and crumple on the damp ground. He feared he might have landed in whatever he used as fertilizer, but luckily it was just plain soil. He sat up and dusted himself off, watching Shadow begin to stir.

"To think, the person that beat me single handedly owns a garden." He sighed, still quite sore about the subject. Rouge leaned over his shoulder to whisper in his ear.

"Hey, it can be theraputic, don't knock it till you try it~!"

Finn openly yelped in surprise, fully wishing he could throttle the little bat. He could tell she didn't mean a word she said, but she was still saying it!

By then, Shadow had sat up by the magic of plants, though he was still groggy as all hell and just as mean too, as he promptly kicked them out with a growl as he said the garden was off limits. He didn't even pause to listen to reason, so the two left, leaving the ungrateful hedgehog by his lonesome.

The two left, keeping a surprisingly quite, polite conversation to themselves, talking about nothing too special nor interesting but too engrossed to care about much else as they headded towards the Bunker. She asked about why Shadow was suddenly so low on (cinammon), and he shyly responded that he liked the spice. She laughed heartedly and promised to keep it a secret between them.

"Also, I meant to ask about your wing. It is better now?"

Rouge stretched and flapped the wing in question, showing how well it had healed. "As good as it'll ever be. These babies have been through everything, but they've always come through. A bat without her wings is nothing." She shrugged, and Finn found himself feeling a newfound respect for her. She said it as if someone said it about her before, but she didn't seem to want to continue with the topic so he went to drop it.

There was a call out in a panic and they looked up, seeing smoke and fire licking at the treeline not to far away. Sonic and Tails rushed out right away, Knuckles and Solver following close behind. Finn looked to Rouge, not sure if he should be concerned or help, but she seemed bothered by something else.

Rouge had turned her head with a frown and Finn followed, looking for whatever she saw until his eyes landed on an otter smilling oddly at them. Rouge noticed the smell of superglue, and Finn did as well, figuring the otter had something to do with the reconstruction they had going on. They quietly wondered why he had just walked up to them aithout saying anything.

"Can we help you?" he sneered, not too keen on conversation with the sketchy creature right now.

"You dropped something," The otter simply pointed down, and Finn followed his gesture automatically, not sure if he was even holding anything he could have dropped.

Then, the otter sharply bent forward, pressing something against Finn's face as he pulled away and Rouge grabbed his arm sharply to squeeze. His smile dropped and he raised his free hand to his mouth, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"IT'S INFINITE! HE'S BACK!"

Finn clawed at his face, trying his hardest to pull off the glue and whatever was stuck to his face. It smelled sharply of metal and glass and no matter how much he shook his head, it didn't fall off.

To the outside world, it was Infinite shaking with pure rage. Wearing a crude replica of his mask, of course, but it was enough to start a mass panic.

Nearly everyone outside at the time scrambled for shelter, mainy sprinting to the Bunker and few back inside their own homes. Those already inside shut and locked doors and windows, drawing the blinds closed. Explosions of red smoke popped up all around the area as Rouge spun around to look, starting to panic herself.

It was as if all hell broke loose at the very instant. Chaos rained down as people screamed in fear for protection, and the Bunker doors broke open from impact. Trainees and trainers alike, those who never knew of Finn's origins, rushed out, weapons drawn, and struck.

He dodged all that he could, running back, shouting who he was, clawing at his mask, but none of it worked. Fire danced at the edges of his fur as he pat it out, crying and screaming that he wasn't Infinite. His arms raised and he built a small shield so he could run, but thag was a terrible mistake. The familar sound, the familar colour, it stoked the already blazing inferno. He felt the sizzling burn of electricity travel up his spine mid-sprint and it froze him in place and he cried out, what remaining fur he had standing on end before he crumpled to the ground.

He looked up, looking around with blurry, obscured vision as ringing filled his ears. He looked for Sonic, for Tails, for Rouge, for Shadow. He tried to stand, getting to his knees, before a massize hammer collided with his side and he was sent tumbling a few feet away. Again, he tried to stand, but he couldn't. Everything hurt. Everything felt cold. He felt alone.

His eyes stung with the teargas thrown around and he saw people with odd weapons run up to him, all screaming something he couldn't hear. Finn drew in a breath, scared, on the brink of crying, and howled.

He howled loud and long, and when he was kicked and told to stop, he did it again.

He didn't stop until he heard the sound of something swishing back and forth, drawing closer, but by then he was being tied up by rope that made him ache deep down to his core and dragged off. He could barely see Shadow running after him through the mask.

Finn tried to howl again, but he just couldn't bring himself to. He heard cheering all around him as Shadow grew more distant, listening to the group chant about Eggman. Were they going to take him to the doctor? What did he even want with him? The jackal let himself cry, curling up onto his side and wrapping his tail around himself. It was just so cold.

xox

yo, still on break.

Written by Speka on 4-9-18, Monday, 12:56 PM

Edited by Toxic on _4-11-18, Wednesday,_ 3:23 AM

 _(Alex go to fucking bed you pleb)_ _replies:_

theres really only one review i can reply to, so,

 **Fimhungrynow (guest):**

 _1.) Kinda. With the ruby, he is, but he himself is just a normal mobian with no special powers of his own, thats why he lashed out because as just a normal ol jackal (without having stable control over his powers) would never had beaten sonic in the first place. Also because if you were trying to do something that you're not the best at and someone kept heckling you and tell you that you're not the best and that you're pretty much terrible, you'd get upset too._

 _2.) Nothing really, it's just saying Tails still acts like a kid despite being physically older. Out of all the lines to pick, you pick the more pointless one lol_

 _There's a secret that's been hidden in every chapter so far and yet no one has found it. True, the message isn't finished until the story is, but hey, what'cha gonna do?_

if there's any mistakes blame alex he's fucking stupid and doesn't listen to rules anyway


	30. chapter 30, we're back!

He had known this place for a long time. He should have, after all, but this perspective was different-- he was looking out instead. Finn breathed a deep sigh and scrubbed at his muzzle a bit harshly, dirty claws digging into the dried super glue and ripping it, along with some fur, off into patches. The jackal had managed to get the mask off after a good few hours, painstakingly picking at a loose end just to get a good enough grip to rip it off fully. He wanted it away from him, even though it wasn't Infinite's mask, it was close enough, but the bar were far too close together to toss it and he was far too weak to break it. So, instead, he sat it in the furthest corner facing away.

Finn wasn't one hundred percent sure how long he'd been there, just under a few hours short of a day, and he had heard from no one. He didn't really expect it, either. It was dead silence all around him, save for few clacks and scrapes in the quiet of the room.

Was this what Sonic had to sit through, when he wasn't being terrorized? pure nothingness?

With Shadow around, if he was ever in one of his moods, just knowing someone was in the house with him was good enough. And, when Shadow was out, knowing how to contact him with a simple howl if need be was comforting. Now, however, he was alone.

And cold.

And, as he wrapped himself with his tail, curled up on the lone bench attached to the wall, and howled, maybe in the back of his head, he could hear a reply.

A day fully passed, and Fin was awoken but what sounded like a bomb exploding and a string of curses. His hopes skyrocket-- he was saved! His pack had come to save him! Oh, how would they know where to find him? Excited and heart racing, he stood and clutched the bars and belted the loudest howl he could. Within a minute, he lost his breath and paused to listen. Nothing. No running, no bullets, no shouting, no talking. Nothing.

Fin blinked. Maybe they were just quiet? Then he could help! He could just break out, right? He had control of his powers now! Claws dug into the metal and he began to feed energy into his palms, gradual at first, then stopped right away as the heat shot right back up his limbs and boiled in his chest.

Okay, that wasn't working. Just that small amount of phantom energy nearly set his insides on fire. Moving back to howling, he pushed himself forward. Fin pressed his muzzle through the tight bars, feeling the metal squeeze through flesh and almost pinch his nose shut as he heaved in a deep breath, just to let it go in a sigh instead. What was the point? He looked around at the thousands upon thousands of cells around him. Too far away to see if anyone was in them, but if they were, clearly no one cared about the explosion. Hopes now crawling in the dirt, Fin turned and padded back to his bench to sit and wait.

Within a few moments, his stomach gave a low growl and he hunched forward, hoping the pressure would keep it satiated. He hadn't been fed yet, and doubted he would.

Day three was greeted by something crashing down and slamming against the middle of his back. The jackal sat up with an annoyed and pained yelp, whirling around just to see Eggman himself standing in front of the bars. His large body blocked light from flitting in and cast the room in an uncomfortable darkness, and Fin turned his eyes down to see what he was given. A tray with a bowl of what looked like plain soup and odd, white disks next to it. He looked back up, meeting the dark eyes of the doctor.

"...What?" he hissed. The doctor stared.

"I don't know how to get it back yet, but I will find out. I don't care if you die at this point." The words were cold and harsh, making Fin glare and snarl, slowly retreating from the bars as if the distance would protect him. "But I won't have you dying before I can. Eat."

Furious, the jackal lunged at the bars as the large man retreated calmly, unfazed by the hissing mobian behind him. Fin slipped his arms through the bars, anger boiling over while his claws swiped at thin air and he hurled threats towards the doctor. In a fit, his bandages glowed, and then with a discharge akin to millions of electric volts, the jackal's head swung backwards and bhe bit down hard, fainting right then and there. He should have learned, really. It happened as soon as he tried to get out on the very first day.

Once he awoke from his unexpected and unpleasant nap, Fin looked around for the food he had ignored. His body was abuzz with pins and needles as he crawled over to the untouched tray, lifting a weak paw to drag it closer instead. He laid on his elbow somewhat and sniffed at the cloudy liquid, somewhat recognizing the scent. It faintly smelled of chicken, and he felt like sobbing.

Fin sucked in a hiss of air and coughed, feeling a slight burn on his tongue and gingerly sticking it out to see a slight cut along the tip, probably a result from him almost biting it off. He was tired, and just staring at the food wasn't helping. He took one of the off-white disks and took a bite, frowning at the texture and taste. Rice crackers.

The broth was plain on it's own, nothing like Shadow's homemade chicken noodle soup. His hunger didn't dissipate no matter what, though, so he ate all he could and laid on his side, back to the bars. There was nothing else he could do, and nowhere else he could lay.

The fourth day, Fin took up exercise. Push ups and crunches, mostly. He had no real weights other than his own body, and since he was bored, why not? Howling all night in the cold, empty base wasn't going to do him any good.

Well into his workout, he paused to unwrap his arms of his 'bandages'. They were somewhat uncomfortable with such repetitive motions and since he didn't really know how to tie them correctly on his own, they were a bit too loose anyway. He was able to do exactly one more push up before the ground was scorched, his body froze up, and he collapsed in a heap of fur.

Maybe that was why Shadow didn't take off his inhibitor rings? It made him wonder, was that what Amy wore? He'd have to ask when... _if_ he managed to get back down there.

Later in the day, reeking of sweat and desperately in the need of the bathroom, Fin sat cross legged as he watched the fat man approach from. He looked tired, but honestly the jackal couldn't care less about this man anymore.

"What is it?"

"Is that how you treat an old pal?" The doctor chuckled, smiling a deranged smile that the jackal oh so wanted to rip off his face.

"One sign if weakness and I was betrayed. I don't know what _'pal,'"_ he spat "You're talking about, old man."

Robotnik's mood swiftly changed to resentment then right back to passive within less than a few seconds. "Two, actually. Get up."

Fin's tail twitched but he stayed right where he was. What could he possibly do? He'd rather die, right now. His hope had began to dwindle on the first day, torture would be more fun than this. The doctor glared and pressed his hand on the bars, two robots floating up from behind him.

"Easy way or hard way, I personally don't care, Infinite."

"I AM _NOT--"_ Anger flared from zero to a thousand in an instant as he reared up, kicking the forgotten tray into the corner as he ran to the bars, the stopped last second. His bandages' glowing was such a bright gold that it looked borderline orange and red, like a flame ready to burst out, as he stood a good foot away from the metal. He learned his lesson. As soon as he touches those things whenever he tried to use his powers, everything he had was turned right back around and directed towards _him_. If he so much dared to even _graze_ that metal now, he'd probably be dead from how pissed he was.

"Learning, are we?" Eggman grinned at the seething jackal "Look, if you just work with me, I'll let you go to your pesky little friends and we can put _aaalll_ this behind us!" He spoke with a bounce, tilting his head and leaning forward for the other to take him up on his offer.

"I know better," Finn huffed, not calm in the slightest. "Than to believe _shit_ you say, old man." His chest heaved as claws of energy whipped out, breaking off into strings of cubes to float around his head.

The threat was not taken lightly, but the other didn't show it. "Well I tried." he shrugged "Orbot, Cubot, show him the surprise." Eggman turned on his heel and began to walk away, the two robots sputtering as they hurried out to retrieve whatever 'surprise' he was talking about.

The robots were out of sight, and soon Fin began to not care about whatever it was. Just as he turned to lay down again, spent and wanting to rest, out the corner of his eye he saw it. More importantly, _her._ His eyes landed on one of his past Jackal Squad members, Yazzy, missing a leg, which was now a prosthetic limb, and looking absolutely miserable.

Panic rose and he turned, sprinting for her. He forgot all about the cell, rushing forward at top speed as she regarded him with concerned, sad yellow eyes. His body collided with the cold steel, and, much to his and Yazzy's surprise, it opened and he stumbled out. The gate's last surge of power rendered him unconscious once again, falling limp onto the tiled floor at the nonexistent feet of the two servants.

"That was easy!" Cubot beamed, while Orbot gently ushered Yazzy away. She mumbled something no one could really hear.

"Yes, yes. You drag him over here so I can restrain him, because I do _not_ trust you with tying him up."

"Aw, you never let me do anything fun!"

"The last time you tied someone up was _me_ , and you tied me up using a ribbon and a bow. I escaped right away."

Cubot whined and heaved Fin over his head, ignoring the order of 'drag' "That's because any _normal_ person would stop to admire the craftsmanship and not just rip it to shreds! I worked really hard on that bow."

xox

 _ok i was not planning on saying "mask off" in this chapter or story whatsoever but it just fucking happened within the first paragraph and I am LIVID_

 _also "cold steel" will keep me up at night_

 _hewwo, I am alive. I know I said I would drop everything, but you know what? fuck that noise_

 _(this is slightly filler but no worries plz)_

 _this chapter is dedicated to, **Pink panda girl1126**_ _!! She posted a review that gave me that extra little push to update. Thank you very, very much._

 _As I said before, I was scared away from this story, and I still am for the most past, but I will do my best to update still. thank you all for sticking with me even during the long break!_


	31. chapter 31

Fin had been awake for some time now, but he simply didn't open his eyes as he didn't need to. He could hear Eggman moving around, humming, and tapping on keys, but that was all he had. Directly above him was a bright light that, even under the protection of his eyelids, still burned and irritated him. He was restrained, too, the only thing he was able to move being his tail, but that didn't give him much comfort.

"Soo... what are those things, anyhow? Where'd you get them?" The doctor started, turning towards the jackal. Fin did not respond. He sighed, stepping over to the mobian to dim the light overhead. "I know you're awake."

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Fin shot back, eyes opening to stare at the blank ceiling. His body itched and he fought not to get upset at it; when those wires were attached to him when he was in his Infinite phase, he couldn't scratch at them then. Should have gotten used to them by now.

"I don't care what you think matters or not, I asked you a question."

Fin opened his mouth, teeth gnashing together, but he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He had to keep calm, he knew nothing about these new machines and didn't plan on testing them. "My actual friends gave them to me."

A bit annoyed, the doctor ignored that statement and leaned over the jackal. Fin hissed a warning that went unheeded as the doctor boldly set a hand on his arm, fingers fumbling over the simple knot as he tried to remove them. Every time his fingers seemed to graze over the material, the knot almost faded from existence or became too tight to untie himself, so he quickly gave up on that idea and left.

Fin didn't care about where he was going or what he was going to do. His tail thudded the metal table in a constant pattern, not so much a beat but really just something to keep himself grounded. What else was there to do?

A flash of a memory came back and he howled, long and sad, only pausing when he heard a distant "shut up!" coming from the doctor. It didn't stop him for long, as he was doing it again seconds later. He was cold, sad, and bored. Something could happen right now and he'd be grateful.

Eggman came back with a handful of tools, tossing them out of eyesight before roughly tugging at Fin's limiter bands and cutting them off.

Immediately, the jackal felt unstable. He felt dangerous, uncapped, let loose without a leash and collar and he _hated_ it. He hadn't had the bands for long, but they felt like a crutch he desperately needed.

"Oh, _now_ you're afraid?" Robotnik chuckled, and Fin guessed he had been looking a monitor instead of his face as he was sure he didn't let any emotion show.

"..." he didn't reply. He took a deep breath and thudded his tail again, semi-aware that the action hurt now and he was probably giving himself a bruise. At least he felt _something_.

"Don't worry, you'll probably be talking up a storm in a few seconds." Eggman turned to him, his mug of a face bent over Fin's and uncomfortably close. His breath smelled like garlic and stale bagels, and Fin hissed. Eggman didn't turn away "So, Infinite, you--"

"I am _not_ \--" Pain spread from his fingertips sending small vibrations up his arms, fading away after going a little ways past his elbows. It was such a startling amount of shock that he was stumped, dumbfounded and clueless of what he was saying for a second. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing. That was a test, you know. You're such a great guinea pig!" Fin didn't appreciate being called a guinea pig, but the stifling pain shooting through his arms again made him dismiss that thought altogether. "I just trained my machine to recognize energy from the Phantom Ruby so I can get it back, you know. Just mad scientist things, haha."

"It wasn't yours to begin with."

"Oh, was it _yours_ now? Hm, Infinite dearest?"

The jackal wanted to rip this man to pieces, but his cry was cut short into gurgles. He was sure he wasn't even upset this time, he was just _hurt_. Fin closed his eyes and took a few rapid breaths, concerned and a bit scared. Again, pain, this time from all over and not ending as soon as it started.

Electricity, buzzing through his body like a swarm of pissed off hornets covered in boiling battery acid. It felt like everything was trying to burst and explode out of him all at once, chest seizing in place and breathing becoming restricted. An imaginary snake coiled around his chest, tightening with each laboured breath as he tongue shot out his mouth to try to free up an passageway possible. Panting sped up until barely any air could come in, every part of him shuddering as he gasped for oxygen.

The jackal tried, fought, and thrashed as hard as he could against his restraints to get away from this pain. The taught leather bit into his skin as he yanked everything around, muscles being pulled and strained and tears freely flowing from the corners of his eyes. Nothing worked. His tail was numb now, along with every other limb. The pain died down in short waves.

He could faintly hear Eggman cackling in the background, but really, he mainly heard blood rushing through his swimming mind until it was flooded.

Tears streaked his muzzle. Fin cried out, gagged and choked, for someone to help. No one ever came. The leather straps holding him down burned into his fur and he arched his spine, pushing up and into the pain and suddenly, with a loud pop that he was sure deafened everyone around, he fell limp against the table.

...Fin woke up unable to move. He was not tied down, but he simply could not move. Muscles too tense to obey him and brain feeling much like a television left between channels, the jackal laid on the cold cell floor and stared at the meal in front of him. Slightly burnt toast and pulled pork sitting in a bowl. Even if he was hungry, he'd have to settle on sniffing it for now. All he could muster was tilting an ear in a general direction towards the food, but that did nothing.

Well into the day, Fin was finally able move. He dragged himself forward for about a single step, then used the rest of his strength to drag his plate closer and shovel the cold food into his mouth. He was so thirsty.

On the fifth day, after urinating in the corner (On the mask specifically) for what was the umteenth time and speaking aloud about how gross the action was getting by now, Fin played another round of "What Position Can I Sit In On This Bench That'll Make It Comfortable" before settling with the constant answer of 'none' and laying on his stomach.

Some unfortunate news he discovered, he had lost his voice. Not like he was using it anyway, but Fin couldn't even pass the time howling anymore. Instead, he talked to himself for however long he could bare his own raspy voice before he'd knock himself out from boredom.

Self harm was another thing he had taken up. With no outside stimulus, the jackal would end up picking at his skin, pulling patches of fur out without meaning to. Sometimes, when Fin was frustrated enough, he would grab onto the bars and let them shock him on purpose Each time felt like hell, and he hated it, but after a while it was difficult to stop himself from doing it when he wanted to pass the time.

He had broken Eggman's machine. In fact, most of the fur around his wrists and ankles were missing entirely, leaving just a bold grey patch of skin marked by red welts. At this point, he didn't care about his fur, or his person in general.

Six day came. Fin could see the Earth from outside his cage, and he stared at it for a long time. It was the first time in a while he was able to see the planet from this far away, and it still was as breathtaking as it was all those months ago. Or, maybe it looked a bit better than be remembered it; at the time, he just wanted the planet to turn into a simple floating rock.

Fin was gross. He had no clue how long he had been staring, but obviously some time had passed. He hadn't showered, hadn't had a place to properly go to the bathroom, and had the bare minimum to eat and almost no water other than the small half-bottle he was given on his first day.

"Look what you've done."

Fin flinched and looked around, but saw no one. It was his own voice that had scared him, he sounded nothing like himself anymore. Just how much time had he spent talking to himself?

"Infinite... was it really worth it, in the end?" He asked "People killed, maimed... for what? Pride?"

The jackal placed his hand over his chest, pausing to feel his heart thumping just below his palm. Slow, methodical, almost in a teasing manner. In a swift motion, without even thinking about it, he raised his hand to his mouth and bit down hard.

Fin yanked his arm down and flailed and thrashed, screaming in agony and staring at his injured wrist. Blood pumped freely and coated the floor in a thin layer as Orbot and Cubot ran to the rescue. He had no clue why he did that, really.

xox

 _surprisingly i have little to nothing to say here. not much reviews to reply with, and the story is coming to a close ha_

 _i really wanna do a collab with someone eh but I'm extremely nervous_

 _requests are awesome but I like longer things too... pm me...?_

 _i'm super tired, heading ofd to bed! goodnight!_

 _Tox, again_


	32. chapter 32

Three months. Maybe more. Finn had stopped counting the days by now, since he lost hope that anyone was going to save him by now.

He lost the ability to shock himself. Now, when he gripped the bars, all he felt was the cool metal digging into his raw hands. Everyday Eggman dragged him out to strap him to that machine, and somehow, everyday, he still had energy for it to take.

The pain was expected but he never got used to it. He wished for anything else, anything other than being alone, cold, and on death's door, but nothing ever came. No one saved him. No one was there anymore.

Hope had all but died inside the jackal's heart, leaving just a sliver left, and he held on to it.

Finn wheezed in effort and he heaved himself onto all fours, then paused, letting his stomach settle to the position change. He dry heaved a few times before sitting up onto his knees and clawing his way onto the bench, pitiful, dull nails catching into the old wood, desperate for a change in position. It hurt too much to stand anymore, and laying in place for too long only caused him to get sore. Finn was given a blanket and pillow, but the fact that he did not have a mattress meant everything for his sleep.

Footsteps down the hall, growing closer, and the jackal whined. He didn't bother speaking anymore, instead staring mis-matched eyes out onto the slowly growing figure. This time, the doctor was holding something. Something small and red in his large hand.

"Wakey wakey," Eggman called, smiling devilishly as he brandished whatever he was holding. It took a second for the canine to realize it was a gem, and for a split second he feared it was another ruby, but under close examination it was simply a chaos emerald. "You're very lucky! I didn't think you would survive till this point, but you have!"

Finn closed his eyes and hissed, turning his head away. He knew that Orbot and Cubot would drag him out and to the damn room anyway, so he didn't try to fight it anymore. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep, and keep sleeping until all this was over. "What's... happened to them?" he asked, finally speaking after long.

He hadn't heard much of anything about his previous squad. Other than seeing them all only once since he was here, the jackal figured they were all locked up just like him.

"Hm?" Eggman didn't seem interested, instead focusing on the emerald as if he was thinking. "Oh, got rid of 'em. Orbot, Cubot, you know what to do."

Finn sat up sharply, ignoring his ribs' protesting and arms wishing to give out on him. "What!?" he yelped, voice loud and full of thunder. Eggman waved behind him but did not answer. "Where-- Where are they?! My squad!"

His shout was cut short with a harsh coughing fit, sending him down onto his stomach and curled into a tight ball. His throat ran dry and lungs cried out for mercy by the time he was finished, sure that if he continued for even a minute longer an organ or two would slide right out his mouth. At least the robots took pity on him, Orbot offering him water while Cubot pat his back.

It was a shame, getting more affection from a robot than living flesh.

The jackal sucked down the water and slid himself down to the ground, where a cot was laid down for him. He clung to his bottle for dear life, tail curling around his midsection for some vague sense of comfort.

"You know," Orbot started as Finn rolled over "I don't think you look... that good anymore."

"Yeah! You used to be super scary and now you just look like a dirty old rat!" Cubot quickly added, staring down into the jackal's face while carting him away. He was getting lighter by the week.

"...yeah." He had no comeback for them. Finn was left almost entirely apathetic now, caring less and less for trivial matters such as his appearing or wether or not he came up with a proper response to the robots. His brain was somewhere else, somewhere far away, so far gone from this conversation that he didn't realize that he was in the machine room until he felt the leather straps tighten around his wrist.

Finn watched the doctor set them up, apparently having worked on something else and forgetting to even activate at least half his devices. His head was free, too, which was new. Normally he was left staring at the ceiling or the strong light, so he assumed the doctor didn't much care for him right now.

Eggman had been getting lazy, he suddenly thought. He probably noticed that the fight was leaving the jackal, so he stopped tying certain straps so tightly as Finn could hardly feel it anymore and the doctor was too preoccupied to really care. Soon, the straps on his legs were removed entirely, making trips shorter since he had less and less to do each day. Eventually, all that left the jackal to the table was a singular restraint around his hips, one on his neck, and one to each wrist.

"Hmm," the doctor hummed, then let out a frustrated sigh as a machine began to power up. A loud, mechanical hum flooded the room, and the doctor sagged into a chair, sipping from a large steaming mug without attempting anything else resembling a conversation. Finn let his head drop to the side, matted fur on his muzzle pressing against the table.

The machine next to him was on, with what looked like work that the doctor had been doing still showing on the screen. The chaos emerald from earlier, he noticed, was placed beside it in a small compartment, possibly powering the machine. It had his vitals, not looking so good mind you, along with some stuff that didn't make sense to him. Everything was a bit far, but Finn could still somewhat read it. Save for some blurry numbers and double vision, along with being laid on his side, he spotted the letters "PRE" with a percentage next to it, then a small diagram of Infinite's silhouette nearly entirely red with pulsating energy. Underneath that, was a number. He couldn't see it well, and focusing was getting a bit difficult to do with such low energy to begin with, but he persisted and squinted at the screen.

By then Eggman has realized what the other was trying to look at and turned his chair around, scooting backwards just so he would be in the direct line of sight of the screen and offering the other a tired and annoyed frown.

Finn simply looked away without showing any emotions and stared back at the ceiling. He was so tired. Maybe... maybe he could take a nap? This was the closest to a bed he could get in a such a terrible place. At least his entire body fit on it, instead of the awkward cramped position the bench provided.

In fact, when was the last time he ate? Properly, he meant. The jackal's diet consisted of just water the past few days... or weeks, probably. Food had been seeming disgusting to him lately, and it felt pointless to keep eating. He did manage a few bites or so, eating way less than half his plate every other feeding or so simply because he didn't have the strength or will.

His eyes slid closed and his head fell to the side, passing out within seconds.

His sleep was empty and useless, only bringing up the last few images he'd seen and vague shapes of possibly people. Nothing ever interesting. The diagram came back, closer, still blurry. He needed to know what it said now, it was killing him!

A beep way too loud to be morally correct woke him from his semi-peaceful slumber and Finn cursed, then hissed in pain from the suddenness of it all. "Does it have to be that loud?" he groaned, and the doctor scoffed.

"I forgot to lower the volume earlier," he sighed "You're fine. Not like you really care."

Finn took a deep breath and turned his head again, tail thudding the table a good two times before he accidentally tore open a cut once again and began bleeding on the table. Eggman groaned and turned away from whatever he was doing, grabbing a device and rushing to the jackal's tail.

"I would like it if you refrained from bleeding all over my expensive equipment, thank you." Robotnik glared, once again sealing the large gash shut with some tissue glue and wrapping a small portion of the appendage. Who knew tails bled that much?

with the sma distraction, Finn turned his eyes back on the screen from earlier. Under "Infinite" was the number "97.995%", and PRE, the acronyms explanation too small to see from so far, was at 1.005%.

 _Wait_.

Finn blinked and looked at the ceiling.

Did that mean... all this time, he could have escaped?

He literally possessed the power to escape? Then how come he didn't try?

As a test, Finn closed his eyes, fighting the urge to sleep while focusing on a blade. something sharp, not necessarily a sword, but that would be cool too. In his hand, weak but still physically there, he felt a sort of blade press into his palm and the jackal opened his eyes.

Eggman had left his tail be and was now bringing over a handful of those horrible, painfully itchy sensors, and Finn turned his hand and lifted up, slicing through one of the straps with ease. There was a pregnant pause, the jackal's right hand free and currently high in the air while the doctor froze at the sound.

Eggman then looked at him.

"...What are you doing?" he asked, voice full of rage barely capped, and Finn looked at him.

"My best," he offered, then cut through the other strap and pulled the rest away with barely enough strength to get free.

Eggman scrambled over to him, falling over the table as the jackal rolled over and off. Finn groaned in pain and quickly regretted his sudden escape plan.

He couldn't walk. How could he escape? Finn hadn't thought his through at all.

 _But_ , he quickly realized, _he still had his power._

The doctor screamed in rage, lifting and flipping the heavy metal table with ease and absolutely terrifying the jackal in the process. He had no clue the other was strong!

"Orbot, Cubot, get them!" he hollered, voice loud and demanding as he dashed towards Finn. His hand closed around the fleeting tail and he lifted sharply.

Next, what came could only be described as a yelp that could be heard through space and time itself, a cry ripped through Finn's throat with the fury of a thousand suns. He spun around with speed he didn't know he possessed and aimed his open palm to the doctor's unguarded face, burning, sparking energy swirling and ripping and shredding across Eggman's form as the doctor let go and recoiled, screaming in absolute agony.

Nearly everything was grained out of him in that one attack, leaving him wheezing and struggling not to heave right then and there as the room began to spun. Not now, not now, he mentally chanted.

Finn scrambled, pushing his legs under him just to collapse. He didn't care, and settled on a quick, broken crawl, getting a few feet away before he felt a swipe to his tail once more. He glanced back, seeing Eggman flailing with one arm, gripping at the air whilst his other covered whatever was left of his face.

He was burned, red, abused flesh and blistered pink skin spread across a great expanse of his skin all the way down his neck, leaving very little of him unscaved. His glasses had been knocked loose and scattered off to the side, and that's when Finn realized what he was groping for. He couldn't see.

Finally! He had a chance! Again, the jackal skittered as fast as his broken body let him, barely getting to the door before he was lifted with ease and held in cold, harm arms. One of the robots, he didn't care to see who, had grabbed him.

A loud crash distracted him for only a split second before the jackal was sprawled out on the ground, the wind knocked out of him and a loud ringing in his ears.

Robots. So many of them. Charging in, having broken the walls and doors and swarming. Eggman has gotten to his feet, seething through his teeth in utter wrath. He slid his glasses on carefully, slowly, each step he took to the downed jackal silent to his still ringing ears.

Then, Finn found himself being scooped up again, but this time by warm arms. He lifted his bleary and bleeding head a fraction just to see blue fur.

Sonic. Sonic was carrying him in his arms and running, he couldn't tell how fast, but it was enough that Finn quickly woke up from his stupor and screamed in shock.

"Welcome back to the living!" Sonic called down to him, grinning like a madman "Sorry about the bumpy ride! Can ya stand?"

Finn blinked as his paws touched the cold ground, and as soon as Sonic let go, he collapsed to his knees.

"Well," Sonic chuckled, ruffling Finn's greasy dreads with an equally dirty glove. "It's a start."

"How..." he was at a lost for words "How are you here...? I thought no one was coming to save me."

The hedgehog raised his hands in a short shrug, eyes closed as if he was as chill and relaxed as possible. "Dunno, really. Was a lot of work to get here, ya know?" he bounced from one foot to the next was metallic footfalls began to approach. Tails' voice shouted over his communicator. "Wanna see a really cool light show?"

 _xox_

 _i have a discord server where we can talk anything along with my stories and whatever else y'all wanna request! absolutely free of charge. Art is there, too!_

 _it's currently me, Toxic, Kazar, and Suicune there, so feel free to join! anyone who leaves a review can also personally get a link, but the main link is here (minus brackets)_

discord[.]gg/5fYb4Y8

 _:3_

 _i dunno!! i dunno anymore!! i guess I'm not doing the review replies anymore??? i would but!! i dunno!!_

 _haha!! but yes, this story is ending soon! 2-3 more chapters! love you!_


	33. chapter 33

"I... what? Are you trying to save me yourself? Are you mad!?" Finn yelped, not needing to look around to know how much danger they were in. Everything of every caliber was quickly closing in, the only ones not doing so were too big for the hallway anyway but blocking every available exit they could. The blue hedgehog merely shrugged off a laser beam grazing his quills and held up his hand, pinching two of his fingers close together.

"Just a teeny bit!" Sonic laughed, and there was a whistle, an angry, harsh one, like the sound of a kettle going off on the stovetop. It surrounded them, having no decernable pinpoint but definatly coming closer. Sonic stood up straight again and gestured vaguely, but it was clear that the sound had something to do with it."But Shadow's _more_ mad."

It was then that Finn understood what Sonic meant by "cool lightshow."

Shadow was running, entirely ablaze in a briliant blue glow. He let out an animalistic roar as his quills sailed through one of the largest badniks with ease, cutting through it as if it was never there to begin with. Metal burned red and white with each step and turn he took, leaving everything in his wake a simple, scorching pile of liquid metal. Within seconds, the hall was nearly empty. It seemed as if the air around the agent himself boiled from contact alone.

Shadow. Shadow was here. Shadow was here to save _him_.

And Finn couldnt help but grin. He opened his mouth to call his name in pure glee, gaining Shadow's attention just as Finn managed to get to his feet. His balance was awful, but he was up, and he was standing. That was all that mattered.

Shadow turned mid attack, ending up getting struck and landing in a heap near the wall. Sonic yelped and went to rush forward, but Shadow was back on his feet in seconds and charging the two with no sign of slowing down. It really would have looked friendlier had he not been sprinting top speed with the same blue aura as before, where he was able to slice down robots clean in half with barely any effort.

"Shad?" Sonic took a step back, worry lacing his voice. He could feel the air start to heat up around him. "Shad, I swear, he couldn't stand when I got here and-"

The sentence was cut short with Shadow stopping a mere foot away, body twitching with the intense energy. Finn watched carefully as Shadow simply looked at them, mouth attempting to form a smile as he spoke. He spotted his bare wrists and was tempted to ask about it.

"I'm tired of losing my friends." he barely managed to rasp. The blue glow was warm and buzzed happily around them all, the crackling chaotic energy making bits of their fur stand on end.

Shadow yanked himself away, grin plastered on his face dispite the many scars and wounds littering his body. He was shaking in place, and didn't seem very stable, but it also seemed like he didn't care at all. Blood slid down his forehead to drip off his nose, but he never did break the smile as he held and examined each of their faces one after the other.

"You look worse for wear." he laughed, deep and hollow, as if he wasn't all the way there, and Sonic grinned too.

"Right back at cha."

" _THERE!_ "

The reunion ended within seconds, and Shadow turned around, body language switching back over to anger in a heartbeat. He glanced back to Sonic and Finn and chuckled. "I'll see you in a week."

Then, everything turned into a blur.

All Finn knew now was the cold seat of the chair he sat in, leaned back to stare out the window at the stars passing. He was barely holding on, but he was stronger than Shadow was for the first time in his life.

As soon as the hedgehog set foot on the 'train', that was honestly too large and traveled through space to be called a train, he passed out and was sent face first onto the floor. Sonic picked him up at first to lay on the seats and rest, but when he simply fell back onto the ground, decided to leave him.

Sonic himself wasn't void of his share of scars. Finn wasn't sure where they came from, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. He was barely awake, from a mix of... _everything_ he had gone through aboard that ship. Exhausted, mainly. He even considered laying on the floor too.

"Hey," Sonic spoke, voice breaking through his thoughts.

Finn blinked tiredly and looked up, vaguely aware that his eyes stung. "Yes?"

"Why are you crying?"

Perhaps he was. The jackal rubbed his muzzle and eyes harshly, scrubbing away tears that had no right being there. "I don't know," he whined, voice sharpening at the end as the flood began. "I shouldn't be."

Sonic offered a small smile, standing up from his seat. He stepped over Shadow's body to sit down heavily next to the jackal, leaned forward just so his sore back wouldn't touch the cold metal. "It's alright." he shrugged, hand resting on his friend's shoulder. "It's alright to cry."

... A week had passed, as Shadow said before. He wasn't sure why it was exactly a week. All he knew was that Sonic ran Shadow away and he had to stay home alone for a bit, until word got around that he was back and was invited to the Bunker for a little TLC.

Much had changed in the few days short of two months Finn had been gone.

It was explained that 'Infinite' had been living with Shadow the entire time. Explained that the jackal was _Finn_ the entire time, how much he changed, tried to change, and improved his life. Not everyone accepted that right away, but overall, plenty people did.

The guild of those working for Eggman, and who had captured and tortured Gadget, had been found and procequted. They were also the ones to rat out where Finn was being held, so it was a win win situation.

Also, few people _did_ leave the Resistance, unable to cope with what Finn had done in the past and his change of heart. It was expected. While they did leave, they didn't actually go against Sonic and his beliefs. They all took a page out of his book, as Sonic did not forgive Infinite, but he did accept Finn. There were high hopes many would return one day.

He was given new ribbons, which Tails finally agreed that the really did look like ribbons, a proper bath and a razor to cut off his scruffy fur, and a long, long nap to heal simply everything.

Now, Finn sat in the nursery where a rabbit called Cream, along with Vanilla, constantly looked over Shadow and tended to his every need. His wrists and ankles were bruised and damaged, most of his quills had been yanked out in patches, his fur was almost singed clean off, molten metal now cooled into sooty chunks clung to him in every place imaginable, and his back was litered with blisters. To put it short, he looked awful.

"Anything yet?" He asked Cream gently, and the young rabbit yawned as she nodded. He felt a bit bad, having her care for Shadow so heavily. He'd gladly do so himself, but his blood sugar dropped so quickly just from him standing too fast that he was rather useless in caring for his friend.

That, and the fact that Cream almost _violently_ refused to let him help, announcing that she could do it all herself. He didn't question her further.

"Yes, Mr. Finn..." She drawled, grabbing the jackal's wrist so he could stand carefully. He balanced onto his temperary cane and followed her in, seeing Shadow laid on his side in the small matress. He was awake, but his eyes remained closed. "Mr Shadow, Mr. Finn is here to see you...!"

Her voice was strained to be happy, and Shadow opened his eyes, clearly exhausted himself dispite his heavy sleep. "Thank you, Cream. How about you turn in for the night? I'll be fine in the morning, okay?"

The rabbit paused, eyes widening for a fraction as she opened her mouth to protest, but it was all cut short when Shadow laid his hand atop her head, and she suddenly disappeared. Finn was about to ask but figured he shouldn't, Shadow was just like that.

"So..." he started, approaching the bed with caution. His cane clacked the floor a bit too loudly in the quiet room. "A lot has happened."

"It has." Shadow breathed heavily a few times, attempting to quell his pounding headache with varying sucess. "How do you feel?"

"Are you honestly asking me that question?" He grinned, sitting on the bed next to the hedgehog "Based on how you look, I'm surprised you're even alive."

"I heard you cried," Shadow suddenly cut in, dismissing Finn completely. "I heard that you cried when I passed out."

"Did not!" He screeched. Fur stood on end, this time not from the cold. "Why would I cry over you!?"

Shadow chuckled slyly, then swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood. "I dunno, maybe because I saved you?" he stretched as if he was a fragile old man, body creaking with each movement before he sharply winced and rubbed his side. "I can't keep going on rampages like that..."

Finn stood and threw a punch, hitting Shadow's upper arm and making the hedgehog recoil, hissing a pained and annoyed " _ow!"_ towards him.

"That's all I ever wanted." The jackal grinned stupidly, way too proud of himself as Shadow slowly realized that Finn had finally proven that he was stronger. He was stronger entil he fully healed, at least.

"Shut up," it wasn't spoken with malice, quite the opposite as the two made their way home. The halls weren't as cold as they felt before. "Just you wait."

Finn didn't say anything at first, simply limping behind the equally injured alien he called his friend. The night was warm and welcoming, or maybe he just felt that way generally.

"...What happened to Eggman?" he finally spoke, head turned to the sky as if he could see the base from the ground.

"Was that your first time calling him that?" Shadow shook his head playfully, but did not follow his gaze. "Not sure. Everything was pretty much a blur up there. I'm sure that isn't the last time we see him."

" _I_ hope it is."

"Welcome to the Resistance."

 _xox_

 _hey_

i _have no words for myself_


End file.
